


As Above, So Below

by Mellifluoushowl



Category: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst/Romance, Demons, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fantasy, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Greek gods, M/M, Multi, hercules au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2018-07-28 08:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 74,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7633372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mellifluoushowl/pseuds/Mellifluoushowl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Sora ever wanted was to feel like he belonged. When he discovers he's the son of a god, and that his rightful home is Mount Olympus, he goes on a journey to become a true hero and regain the immortality that was stolen from him as a baby. But when he meets Riku, a dark and brooding man and the God of Death's personal guard dog to boot, things become.... difficult.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own anything! Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Hercules belong to Square Enix and Disney respectively. Love to hear your feedback!

 

 

**1481 B.C.**

  
    The week he was born was loud. That's what stood out the most. No infant should ever have to be brought into a word so loud, so chaotic. They shouldn't have to be subjected to the cruelties of the world so soon. The child knew that, too. If his cries were anything to be judged by, the babe seemed to be born with the knowledge that he'd been dealt an unfair hand. As it was, though, there was little he could do about it but wriggle about his basket, voicing his complaints in a shrill scream any time someone was close enough to hear him.  
  
    "Shhh, Riku, shhh." Soft hands reached down to scoop up the boy, a smile touching the lips of the woman's otherwise nervous expression. Riku cooed at her, easily pacified once she cradled him in the crook of her arm. The noises from outside the walls intensified, Spartans rushing around in a state of panic. Searching. Whispers of "demon" and "One Wing" filtered in between the woodwork, the woman barely able to hear over the shouts of soldiers. But that couldn't be right, could it? That description could never compare to the man she had met nine months ago. Although she supposed she never really thought he was human; he was too charming for that, too cunning and beautiful. But to think, if what her kinsmen said was true then that would mean her little Riku...  
  
    All speculation over her son was brought to an abrupt halt when the door to the little shack she cowered in was flung open and a dark haired man hurried inside. "Fang, it's time to go! If we don't leave now, it'll will be too late to get out of the city without getting caught!"  
  
    His voice was an urgent whisper, more urgent than she could ever remember from her brother. It wasn't like Noctis Caelum to show fear. He was always so calm and calculating. It made the tremble in his voice all the more frightening.  
  
    "Where do you expect us to go, Noctis?"  The sharpness in her retort was enough to stir Riku from his peace, and she paused in her outburst to soothe him into silence once again. "He's only three days old, he won't survive more than a month trekking across the country with a mob at our heels!"  
  
    "If we stay here any longer, neither of you will survive to see the sun rise tomorrow!"  
  
    Fang bristled at his words, casting her gaze elsewhere, anywhere but at the harsh truth in Noctis' eyes. She looked around at the room they were in, soaking in what could very well be the last day in the city. Light shown through the rafters above their heads, slipping in between the cracks of the rotting wood. An abandoned barn was hardly an ideal place for one's last night at home. But at least it had been safe, safer than anywhere else she could have fled to when the nursemaid had caught sight of her baby's tell-tale silver hair that first night.  
  
    "Fine." Was all that was said, the woman leaving no room to change her mind as she rose from her crouched position beside the hay. "Give me a moment while I grab his things." Not that there was much to her name. Not that they had any time to spare or anything to plan. Fang paused once, peaking around the shredded curtains of the window if only to take a moment for herself; one last moment to look at the city she'd been born and raised in, never having even left its borders. Collecting her cloak and the small amount of food they had left, Noctis ushered her out the door.  
  
    They were close enough to the edge of town. So long as they could make it past the last few houses on the outskirts, they would be home free. They only had to mingle with the villagers for a few moments in between here and the safety the forest had to offer. Slipping from house to house, hoods drawn and Riku tucked safely under the folds of fabric, they were practically to the tree line when Fang stopped in her tracks looking forlornly towards a small cottage, and Noctis nearly tripping over her heals.  
  
    "What? What is it now?" he hissed.  
  
    "Vanille."  
  
    "What??"  
  
    "I have to go back for Vanille! She can help us, Noctis."  Seeing his disbelieving expression, Fang pressed on. "Please. I don't know how to raise a baby by myself, you know that. And you know as well as I do that having a midwife with us is Riku's best chance of making it to Athens."  
  
    Noctis sighed, pushing his bangs away from his face in frustration with his sister logic. But he wasn't sure he cared enough to risk it. He held nothing against his nephew, but Fang was his responsibility. Not that squirming, crying, little half-breed (if the rumors about the lad's father proved to be true). "Stay here then. I'll go get her."  
  
    "No. She'll be too scared if you go. But she'll listen to me. Here." She thrust Riku into Noctis' arms. "Just take him and keep him safe until I get back. I won't be more than five minutes, I promise."  
  
    "But-!"  
  
    "Shh. You'll wake him again." Fang bent down, delivering a kiss to her son's forehead and then doing the same to her brother's cheek. She pulled Noctis' cloak around them both and stepped back. "Five minutes. Then you have permission to march in after me."  
  
    He didn't like it. Not at all. But before he could tell her so, Fang was rushing across the field to her midwife's home. He could only crouch in the shadows, waiting for her to return.

 

~~~

    The house looked the same as last time she'd been there. Nothing had physically changed despite her whole life having been flipped upside down. Even the flowers on the table had been left alone and were drooping sorrowfully in their vase.  
  
    "Vanille?" She had to be here. "Vanille." There was nowhere for her to have gone. Much like herself, Vanille had little to no family to speak of. That's how her and Fang had grown so close as children. They understood what each other had lost.  
  
    "Fang?" Fang whipped around at the voice, sighing with relief to see her old friend standing in the kitchen door.  
  
    "Vanille, thank the gods you're okay." She began to close the space between them. "Listen, I know this is going to sound crazy, but come with me. Noctis and I are leaving for Athens and you should come. We can find a safe city that isn't as superstitious as this one and make a new life."  
  
    Vanille could only stare, looking horrified. She shook her head, her pink pigtails swishing, and tears beginning to brim in her eyes. "Fang, I'm so sorry. I-... I can't... You shouldn't have come back here!"  
  
    A crease marred Fang's brow. "What are you talking about? Of course you can! I know it's scary but if we leave now we can have an actual chance and-"  
    "I'm afraid neither of you will be going anywhere." A large calloused hand reached out, weighing down heavily on Vanille's shoulder as a gruff man appeared from behind the kitchen door. Tears were streaming freely down Vanille's cheeks now and her whole body trembling.  
  
    Fang stumbled back half a step, looking between the two. What was the captain of the guard doing in her friend's home? Vanille would never tell a soldier anything about her and her or Riku. Would she?  
  
    "Fang... Just give him the baby. That's all they want. Just give him the baby and we won't have to leave, everything can go back to the way it was before... before Sephiroth..." The girl broke off a sob, unable to bear looking her best friend in the eye. She wouldn't admit to having been jealous of him. No, not about how he had monopolized Fang's attention, and certainly not about how they had looked at each other when they thought she wasn't looking. She'd never say something like that out loud.  
  
    "Listen to your friend, girl. Just hand over that little... mongrel son of yours and we can make this all go away."  
  
    Fang trembled at the obvious lie in his voice and the glint that flashed through his eyes. No this would never be over. The only thing left to do was run. Make it back to Noctis and Riku and head for the hills like Noctis had wanted. But the captain was too quick. She hadn't made it halfway to the front door before she felt his weight press into her back and slam her against the wall

 

~~~

    Noctis looked skyward again, checking the suns position for the millionth time it had felt like. Five minutes were up. She should have been back by now. He was going in after her whether she liked it or not. Just as he turned to leave his shadowy shelter, the horn sounded. Peaking around the corner, all he could do was watch as a small group of soldiers down the street converged on the house, answering their commanding officer's call. The door to the midwife's little cottage was kicked open and his sister... his sister was drug in to the streets.  
  
    The man pressed himself against a tree, his breathing coming in labored gulps, like he couldn't possibly get enough air. Calm down, he tried to tell himself. He'd get her back. Hide the kid, fight off some guards, come back to collect him, and run like the demons of the Underworld were nipping at their heels.  
  
    But there were more people shouting now, and when he looked back he could see the townsfolk poking their heads out windows and emerging from their respective homes. They shook their fists and threw rocks, demanding blood for the curse that Fang had inevitably placed on the town by consorting with the likes of demons. His own neighbors calling for the death of a girl they had watched grow up.  
  
    Time slowed down when the captain reached for the sword on his belt.  
  
    Everything glowed too bright when he hoisted it over his head, looking down at Fang on her knees with a sneer.  
  
    The crowd finally hushed for the first time in three days, the first time since that old hag had ran screaming from the midwife's house in the middle of the night spouting nonsense about a baby with silver hair.  
  
    Nonsense is what Noctis had first thought anyway.  
  
    He didn't even remember screaming. He'd remember later how his throat had hurt with the force of it, how the people had looked at him when he'd relieved his hiding place. He'd remember how the sand had greedily soaked up his sister's blood, as if sending it straight to the god of Death himself. He'd remember how Riku had woken with a start and begun to cry again, and how only then did he break from his trance and begin to run, desperately hanging onto the last piece of his sister he'd ever have. After that he would remember very little about his escape into the forest with an infant who had been the cause of so much destruction in his arms.  
  
    After that he'd make sure never to let his family out of his sight again.  
  
    No, he'd never make that mistake again.

 

~~~

**10 Years Later**

 

    Riku tumbled head over heels down the hillside, leaving a trail through the wild flowers that he crushed as he passed. Giddy with laughter, he scrambled to his feet at the bottom, looking up at the girl who nervously fidgeted at the top. "Namine, come on! It's fun I promise! It doesn't even hurt."  
  
    "Liar!" The blonde girl clutched at the skirt of her white chiton, pursing her lips in a pout and sticking out her tongue. "You scrapped your arm last time, remember? It even bled too!"  
  
    Riku smirked, tossing his arms behind his head and turning his back on her. "Well that's fine then. I guess I'll just have to go without you," he taunted. "Go on and run back to your daddy if you can't handle playing with the big kids."  
  
    Namine's face went cherry with anger, her cheeks puffing out like she was holding her breath. "Riku, you big dummy! Just watch me!" With that she threw herself at the flowers, rolling on her side all the way to the bottom, and leaving a carnage of flowers in her wake. When she finally came to a stop, she was out of breath, weeds in her hair, her now dirty skirts splayed out around her. Riku laughed at the sight, bending down to pluck a daisy lodged behind her ear.  
  
    "You see? That wasn't so bad, right?" The silverette lent out a hand to help her up, which Namine accepted. Once she had dusted herself off, however, she raised her little seven-year-old fist and struck Riku hard in the shoulder.  
  
    "Ow!"  
  
    "Don't you ever make me do that again, Riku Caelum! Or... or else!"  
  
    Despite it's questionable standing, Riku still grimaced at the threat. Really the younger girl could make his life miserable with little more than a word to his uncle about what they had been up to that afternoon. Seeing that she had struck a nerve in her friend, Namine smiled triumphantly. "Now are you going to tell me where we're going or not?"  
  
    "Alright, alright. Jeez Nami, you don't have to be sore about it." Riku grumbled with a frown, kicking at the bluebells by his feet. His sour mood change in a second though, and his face lit up with excitement. "Come on, it's this way!"  
  
    Namine followed at his heals, both of their bare feet slapping the earth as Riku led the way through the meadow. It was at the edge where he came to a sudden halt, holding out his arm to stop the girl behind him. "There. Look down."  
  
    Namine creeped up to the edge of the weeds and peered over. There the ground plunged in a sudden drop that was almost hidden in the tall grass. Fifteen feet below laid a large expanse of geenland, littered with half rusted armor and weapons. Several patches of land were bald, like at one point there had been something that grew there, but had long since been burned away without enough time to replenish itself.  
  
    "Woooow," the girl gaped, awe struck. "What happened? How long do ya think this has been here?"  
  
    "Dunno. But it looks like there was a mighty battle!" Riku picked up a long stick, swinging around his head dramatically. "With soldiers and-", he broke off, tripping on an overgrown root and falling backwards onto his bum. "A-and Hero's..." he finished.  
  
    Namine shook her head in exasperation at her friend's expense. "Riku, how many time's your uncle gotta tell you to stop fantasizing about wars and Hero's? He told ya they weren't real. You think if there were people running around with impossible strength, we mighta noticed one by now?"  
  
    "Ah, come off it, Nami. Uncle Noctis doesn't know nothing about Hero's, so how's he gonna know if the stories are true?" Riku didn't allow her time to answer before he started to scurry over the edge of the cliff. "Come on, Namine. I wanna see up close!"  
  
    The girl started to clutch at her skirts again. "R-riku, wait. Are you sure it's okay for us to do that? I think we can see it perfectly fine right here!"  
  
    Riku poked his head back up, using a protruding root to hold up his weight. His seafoam green eyes narrowed. "Namine, what's the point of having snuck all the way out here it we weren't even gonna take a look? I'm going. If you're scared, you can stay up here by yourself."  
  
    "Riku... Riku wait!" But no amount of calling was going to stop him from scrambling towards the ground. As the wind picked up, her cries were lost in the sound of an incoming storm anyway, so Riku forged onward. Only a few short yards away, a crude blade had been plunged into the dirt.  
  
    Riku thought he could hear Namine shouting at him not to touch it, but he let her words roll off of his shoulders. She wasn't down here to tell him not to. It took effort on his part to rip the sword from it's resting place. He had to use all the strength his ten-year-old arms had to offer, but finally it was free. He raced back to the base of the cliff side and hoisted his prize above his head for his friend to see. "Namine, look!"  
  
    "That's great Ri." Her tone held more trepidation than she tried to let on. "Now will you please put it down and get back up here so we can go? It's gonna rain soon!"  
  
    _**You should have lissstened to the girl, little one. This is my graveyard.**_ **Mine** _ **.**_ Riku's head whipped around at the unfamiliar voice. It came almost like a whisper, low and throaty like Noctis had sounded last winter when he'd gotten sick. But there was no one. "Who's there?"  
  
    "Riku? What are you doing?" Namine's voice sounded very distant for being so close.  
  
    "Namine? Did you say that?"  
  
    "Say what?" The wind gusted, blowing her hair in front of her face. "Come on, Riku, I don't like this game anymore!"  
  
    _**Well, well. What do we have here?**_ Something dark began to swirl around the tip of the sword in Riku's hand. He shrieked and dropped it to the ground, it almost immediately being encompassed in a dark fog.  
  
   _ **Do you like playing Hero, little boy? Tssssssk. Don't you know better than that? Hero's don't exist for people like ussss.**_ Riku staggered against the cliff, looking wildly for whatever could have a voice like that. Seeing nothing, he began scaling the wall, the same way he had gotten down.  
  
    It was only a few more feet to the top when the chill racing up his spine made Riku freeze. _**I ssssee. Poooor little darkling. Ssso confussed. You don't even know what you are, do you? If it's power you want, I'd be happy to obliggge. There's no greater ssstrength than what I can teach you. You'd be greater than any Hero of legend you've ever heard about!  
  
**_     Barely able to move, Riku glanced over his left shoulder, silver hair billowing around his rosy cheeks. His blood pounded in his ears when he came face to face with it.  
  
    It's ebony eyes looked to be staring straight into him, seeing everything; reading his thoughts. Scales encasing its slender body were so dark, even the sun's light wasn't reflecting back at him. It coiled around a root, jaws open so wide they seemed to detach, and fangs dripping with black. _**Just hold still, now!  
  
**_     "Riku!" A large hand suddenly gripped Riku by the collar and hauled him over the edge an instant before those powerful jaws snapped closed where Riku had previously been hanging. The boy suddenly found himself staring into the stormy eyes of his uncle, angry as Riku had ever seen them. "What do you think you're doing here?" Noctis punctuated every word by giving both of Riku's shoulders a shake.  
  
    "I... I-i... There was a sword, a-and... The snake!"  
  
    Noctis sighed, raising one hand to cup his nephew's cheek when the tears started to spill from the boy's sea green eyes. He got to his feet and reached out for both Riku's and Namine's hands.  
  
    Riku sniffled and looked around the legs of his uncle as the man started to guide them back the way they came. "Nami, didn't you hear it?!"  
  
    Namine shyed into Noctis' leg, clutching his hand with both of hers. The wild, frightened look in Riku's eyes was something she had never seen before. "Hear what, Ri?"  
  
    "Come on, you two." Noctis interrupted. "Let's get back home. Namine, you are to say nothing of this to your father, do you understand?"  
  
    The girl nodded. "Yessir. I understand..."  
  
    Noctis turned his gaze back to the boy on his right. "Riku, you know better than to go running off like that. And to come this far from home... What if someone had seen you??"  
  
    Riku rubbed at his nose, nodding. "Yessir. I-i'm sorry Noctis."  
  
    Noctis pulled the boy's head into his side, affectionately ruffling his hair. He sighed. "Never mind now. Let's hurry back to the cottage before this rain starts to pick up, or Namine's father will have my head."  
  
    A chorus of "yesssir"'s followed them home

 

~~~  
**12 Years Later**

 

    "Riku, hold still. Do you want to look presentable or don't you?" Riku fidgeted under his uncle's heavy hand. For what it was worth, Noctis had done a decent job of taming Riku's long and unruly hair, but the young man in front of him was not making it easy. "I told you not to go ridding in the forest today, didn't I?" He wielded the brush like a weapon, attacking a tangle in the silver locks like it was his natural born enemy. "But when have you ever listened to reason?"  
  
    "I just needed some time to think, Noctis." Riku reached for the brush, snatching it away and attending to his hair himself. Instead, Noctis went to work straightening Riku's clothes. Becoming annoyed, Riku waved him off. "Stop it! You're going to drive me crazy with all your fussing. I'm not a child anymore."  
  
    Noctis stood back and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's important you make a good impression today, Riku. You don't want your bride thinking she's marrying a wild animal, do you?"  
  
    Riku shrank under the man's gaze, putting more attention into his hair than was strictly necessary. "I don't know if this is such a good idea, Uncle... I don't know anything about society, and I've never even been into the town. How do you know this girl you found won't run screaming the second she sees... this?" He held out a strand of his hair to emphasize his point.  
  
    Noctis sighed and sat on the stool across from his nephew. "I was going to wait until later to surprise you, but now seems like as good a time as any for you to know. You don't need to worry about such things. Namine never cared about your hair before, I can't imagine she'll begin to care now."  
  
    Riku's eyes widened. "Namine? You mean... Namine from when I was little?? But I haven't seen or heard from her since we were children. I thought her family left town."  
  
    Noctis merely nodded, interrupting for the boy could start firing hundred questions. "They did, but I heard a month ago from the blacksmith that they're back. Apparently the girl's mother passed away a year ago from the fever and they are now moving back closer to home."  
  
    The boy was silent, absorbing this information. Namine and her family had been the only people he was permitted to talk to growing up. Noctis had kept them so far from the city that there was no one else nearby to associate with anyway. Still, he couldn't see her dad allowing someone like him into their family. "Her father knows I'm not good enough for her... Why would he agree to this? I have nothing to offer him." They couldn't even host the wedding in his own home or travel to the temple to offer sacrifices to the gods, as were customary. If some city folk caught sight of him walking into their place of worship, they'd think the end of the world was looming over their heads.  
  
    "Prompto and I are old friends, we were able to reach an agreement. And he doesn't believe in nonsense like demons and curses. That's why I chose her." He reached out and placed a hand on Riku's knee. "...I just want you to be happy, Ri. You know that right?"  
  
    Riku nodded, forcing a nervous smile. "Yeah. I know, Noctis."  
  
    "Good. Let's get going then." His uncle flashed him a smirk. "Don't want to be late to your own wedding, do you?

 

~~~

    The journey to the Argentum manor was a long one. It felt like hours but that was probably the rising anticipation on Riku's part. Throughout the ride he bounced his legs, repeatedly adjusted his himation over his shoulder, and drummed his fingers on seat of the chariot that had been sent to fetch them. He was beginning to think he understood Noctis' urgency from earlier, but now that they were actually en route the man look annoyingly calm, like there wasn't a care in the world. Riku could only suspect that it was all a rouse for his sake. One of them ought to look like they weren't falling apart with worry.  
  
    Upon arrival, the two men were guided into the backyard, if one could call it that. Despite the Argentum family's supposed wealth, their new property was hardly more than a few acres. The backyard was really more of an overzealous garden than anything. Despite this, a place had been arranged for the new couple to kneel right in front of a small shrine for Hera. It would have to do.  
  
    Riku made his way forward at Noctis' urging, ignoring the stares of Namine's family members, and knelt in the grass before the shrine. Never had he seen so many people before. Namine had siblings and cousins, grandparents, and her father, all keeping their gazes trained on him. Her father was the worst, looking at him with a threat in his eyes; a silent warning to the man he would be offering his only daughter to. Riku had to keep his gaze downcast in order to maintain breathing at an acceptable level. Or at all for that matter. These people would definitely not consider fainting at the alter "acceptable behavior".  
  
    Someone was speaking now he was pretty sure. It was hard to differentiate anything from the roaring in his ears. Was that snickering? He thought so. But was it a person, or a shadow, or his own insecurities laughing in his face, he couldn't tell. It all stopped anyway when she walked through the door.  
  
    She was dressed similarly to himself, a himation wrap clasped snug over her dress. The biggest difference was that her face was covered, veiled from sight, but Riku knew it was her. There was no mistaking the grace in her steps for anyone else. She knelt beside him but refused to look up to see her groom. An Athens priest was taking, this time he was sure of it, but he could go on about rituals and sacrifices for the rest of his days and Riku may never have even glanced his way.  
  
    Warily reaching out, Riku tried to catch his brides attention by touching her hand. "It's good to see you again, Nami." His voice was hardly more than a whisper, and went unnoticed amongst the crowd. Namine on the other hand, recoiled like she'd been bitten, looking up at her familiar suitor for the first time with horror in her eyes, barely visible under the veil. "Riku? ...No. It can't be you. It can't be..."  
  
    Not encouraging first words after a near decade apart. Trying not to seem disheartened, Riku pressed on. "It's okay. We can make this work. I promise."  
  
    "Erhm." When Noctis made a sound like that, it sounded annoyed; when Prompto did it, it sounded like a predatory cat preparing to tear your limbs off. Namine made no move like she had heard him, and Riku had to commend her for it. She was either brave in the face of danger or incredibly foolish. "Namine, Riku. There will be time for catching up later."  
  
    Namine jumped to her feet, blue eyes brimming with fear. "I can't. I can't do this." She didn't run from the garden exactly. There were too many people in the way, and few places for her to go. There was also the matter of her dress catching on the thistles of the rose bush, tearing it. In her attempt to detach herself, something wrapped in a rag tumbled to the ground, hidden on her person. But she didn't let that stop her from fleeing the gardens, no, she was gone before anyone could think to grab her.  
  
    Riku wasn't sure what to do. Was this something normal to happen at weddings, for women to run from their grooms in despair? Was she getting cold feet? Did she even have a desire to get married today? A gleaming reflection caught him in the eyes and he found himself tracing it back to the bundle she had left behind, a sliver of its contents exposed to the sun.  
  
    Noctis' familiar grip was suddenly under his elbow, pulling him up from the grass. "Riku, are you even listening to me?!" Riku's eyes snapped back to attention and he looked to his uncle expectantly.  
  
    "Go after her, boy." Nocits repeated, pushing him in the direction she had ran. Riku stood agape. Prompto was already looking, and she clearly had no desire to see him today, so what good would that do? But he obliged if for nothing more than to please his uncle.  
  
    He snatched her parcel from under the roses and left in search. She would probably want it back, whatever it was, and maybe by returning it he could provide them with an opportunity to talk.  
  
    The first place he looked for was the chariot he and his uncle had arrived in. A stable hand would have been sent to retrieve it and if he still knew anything about his old friend, it was her love for animals. That coupled with her need to escape this place made the barn an obvious choice.  
  
    Sure enough, he found her cooing to one of the horses, trying to coax one into letting her saddle him. But she was an unfamiliar face. Only the stable hands ever came to prepare them for a ride. The stallion she held by the reins stomped his feet and shook his mane, like he was trying to shake off the anxiety.  
  
    "No, no, no, don't do that, please. Just hold still a moment." Namine's veil had been ripped from her face and was lying in the mud by her feet, her platinum blonde hair loose from it's braid. "Fine!" Losing the battle with her ride, she tossed the saddle to the ground with a thud and rose a leg to try and scale the beast bareback.  
  
    "Namine, wait!" She paused at Riku's voice, skin losing all it's color. Riku took the opportunity to steal the reins from her horse and hold him steady.  
  
    "Please wait. I know this isn't what you wanted, really. But I think we could make the best of it!" He tried to smile, tried to sooth her. "Come on, there are worse things than marrying your best friend, right?"  
  
    It was that smile that caught her off guard. It wasn't the same one that she used to know; it had lost most of its childish cockiness. She shook her head, clenching her eyes closed. "I'm so sorry Riku. I am. But I can't stay here with you. There's... there's someone else. I have to go."  
  
    Riku was dumbfounded, so he could only nod. She must have taken it as a sign of agreement because she again tried unsuccessfully to claim her mount.  
  
    "Wait." Riku touched her arm again and pulled the bundle from his clothes, offering it out to her. "You dropped this earlier."  
  
    "Get that thing away from me!" Namine swatted it from his hand, hurling it towards the ground. This time it's protective wrapping was ripped away with a flourish and a dagger bounced off of the dirt.  
  
    For a few seconds, the two could both only stare. It was Riku who broke the silence, hurt etched into his sharp features. "Namine? What were you going to do with that?" Anyone else and it wouldn't have even needed asking, but not her. Namine had always had such a gentle spirit, she'd never hurt anyone in her life.  
  
    The girl broke into a sob, clutching at her hair. "It wasn't supposed to be you, okay! It was supposed to be a stranger! He never said it was going to be you..."  
  
    "Who never said?? Someone sent you to kill me?" This was outrageous. He could count the people he'd met in his life on one hand. There was no one who knew him well enough to want him dead.  
  
    _**That's where you're wrong, boy. I know you better than you know yourself.**_ Riku clamped his hands over his ears, nearly dizzy with the loudness of it. Unlike all those years ago, Namine did the same thing, clearly able to hear the words where the first time she had not. But who could ignore a voice so akin to thunder it barely sounded like words at all?  
  
    Riku shot an accusing glare at Namine. "What did you do?! Who did you talk to?!"  
  
    The girl could only sob, pressing her face into her horse's side. "I'm sorry, Riku. I'm so sorry... He promised me if I did this, he'd make sure I was free from marriage!"  
  
    _**And you should know better than to break a deal with me, girl!**_ Riku's stomach plummeted when he saw the familiar black fog rising. This time it had nothing to latch onto. It simply swirled in the center of the room, growing to the size of a person. Knowing the something was unquestionably wrong, the horses began to stomp their feet, kicking against their pens, and searching for escape. A gale blew though the barn, blowing the fog away and a man emerged from the smoke.  
  
    Riku gasped, feeling lightheaded. Never before had he heard of another with hair like his. The silver coloring was usually reserved for things of legend and nightmares. In every tale, death followed anyone who dared wear it. He'd been told that demons looked like this but Noctis had assured him that no such creatures existed. And yet here this man stood, tall with dark skin, dressed in black with a piercing amber gaze.  
  
    Namine almost immediately fell to her knees. "Lord Hades, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. If I'd know who my fiance was, I would have never come to you."  
  
    Hades. For some reason that made sense. Of course the Master of Death would have those traits.  
  
    The man stepped forward and struck the girl with the back of his hand, silencing her. She fell to her side with a cry and clutched her cheek. "Stupid, insolent little brat. I don't care for your excuses!" His voice seemed more human now, however with it he brought clouds in the sky and a darkness that shouldn't have been for being only noon.  
  
    Namine quivered, her sobbing having dwindled down no a soft whimper, but that didn't stop Hades' rampage. He reached out, his shadow mimicking his movement. He didn't touch her again but for reasons Riku couldn't explain, the shadow wrapped its fingers around her throat and threw he up against the wall.  
  
    "If you refuse to fulfill our contract, I'll just have to take you instead." Namine gaped for air, clutching at the shadowy hand around her throat, but her hands passed harmlessly through. "Well!" Hades demanded. "What is it going to be!"  
  
    Barely able to speak, Namine let her arms fall to her sides and narrowed her eyes. "...I-i.... I... refuse...." she rasped.  
  
    Hades snarled and his shadow tightened its grip. "Very well."  
  
    "Wait!" For a moment Riku wasn't sure if it had even been him that called out. Seeing the Lord of Death look his way, he decided that it couldn't have come from anyone else and pressed on. "You wanted me you said? Fine! Kill me and let her go!" After all, he had nothing in his life to lose. Except Noctis, but maybe with him gone, his uncle could finally have a real life again, instead of being trapped in the woods for the rest of his days like a hermit.  
  
    Hades immediately dropped his prisoner and strode over to Riku. If he had thought Namine was graceful, this man made her look like a stumbling fawn. He glided the distance between them and stopped only inches from Riku's nose. "You would give up your life for this little traitor? She was going to kill you, you know. Murder you in your sleep."  
  
    "S-she wasn't," Riku stammered. "Namine would never do that to me. She was my friend."  
  
    Hades snorted. "Fine. A trade. You for her?" When Riku nodded, unable to speak, the man grabbed him by the collar. "You have to say it! Out loud."  
    Riku's voice trembled as he spoke. He could faintly hear Namine calling to him, telling him not to do it. But like all those years ago she sounded distant. "I, Riku Caelum, trade my life for Namine Argentum's."  
  
    A grin split Hades face. One like Riku had never seen before. "Agreed." A thunder clap made Riku's ears ring, it was so close. That wretched fog had begun to swirl again and Lord Hades gripped Riku by the shoulder, dragging him towards it. Riku didn't struggle, nor did he help with the process. He could hear Namine crying clearly now, tears streaming down her face.  
  
    He offered her one of his most compassionate smiles. "Tell my uncle I'm sorry. Tell him I love him!"  
  
    He never did hear her reply. The edge of his vision began to blur and darkness swarmed before his eyes. The last thing he saw was her reaching out a hand to stop him, but of course, that would have been impossible

 

~~~

    Riku wasn't sure where he was. For a while - at least he thought it was a while, he couldn't sense time passing either - he couldn't even remember his name. What was the last thing that had happened? Come on, think.  
  
    Nothing. Blankness.  
  
    Try to look around. Maybe get a grip on your surroundings.  
  
    Dark.  
  
    Were his eyes even open? He tried to reach up to touch his face, but couldn't move his arms. Or could he? Was his arm still attached? He couldn't feel it. Couldn't be sure.  
  
    The longer he waited, the more his frustration began to build. But that was good right? Even frustration was better than this awful, numbing, emptiness. The more frustrated he got, the more his memories started to piece back together, like stitching up a hole in his mind.  
  
    He was Riku. It was his wedding day. He'd tried to rescue Namine. He was dead. Probably. The last conclusion was a little bit fuzzy, was this really what death was supposed to feel like? He'd thought he have to be ferried across the river Styx to reach the Underworld first. After that, who was to say what it was supposed to look like. Maybe by entering with Lord Hades, he'd forgoed his ferry ride and went straight for the gold.  
  
    After enough time passed (it had to have passed by now, right?) he was fairly certain he could move. But what was the point? He couldn't go anywhere. All around him was that awful black nothing. But with movement came the voice again.  
  
    _ **Good. You're awake.**_ If this is what you could call awake, he supposed so.  
****_**  
**_     The voice, no Hades, chuckled. _**Funny. You think you're clever, don't you?**_  
  
    Clearly not, he was eternally trapped in this hellhole, and it was of his own doing, how clever could he be?  
  
    _**True. But don't worry about such things, I would have had you eventually. I've been waiting a very long time to get my hands on you.  
  
**_     What was Hades going on about?  
  
  _ **Don't you know, Riku? That uncle of yours has become quite the successful little demon hunter since carting you around. The darkness in your heart attracts all kinds of unsavory creatures, doesn't it? I would have preferred a pure-blood, myself, but I don't have jurisdiction over their kind. A half-breed will have to do. You're just barely human enough to be under my rein once you died.  
  
**_     Once he died? So Hades hadn't killed him yet?  
  
    _**I'm not going to kill you, fool. Then I'd have to go through all kinds of trouble to bring you back. As it is, that girl's incompetence actually made my job a lot easier. And don't call me Hades. Only human scum used those names for us. From now on, I am Lord Xemnas, you understand?  
  
**_     Xemnas. Sure, whatever. Did it matter?  
  
    Pain suddenly lanced through his body like a hot iron, making Riku scream. And he was pretty sure he heard it out loud. Something under him was glowing, an eerie dark symbol that was the only thing he could see in this realm.  
  
    _**"Yes, Lord Xemnas". Say it!  
  
**_     "Y-yes, Lord Xemnas..." Riku groaned, still trembling from pain.  
  
_**Very good. Continue being obedient like that and we can make this brief.  
  
**_     Brief? Make what brief? Just exactly what was Lord Xemnas planning to-?  
  
    Coherent thought was quickly silenced when the symbol under his body glowed even brighter. There was screaming but it was too loud to possibly be him. It was still dark, but now he noticed that the fog from before was tangible; cold and heavy like water. And now he knew that Xemnas had almost definitely lied to him. The shadowy substance was ripping him to shreds.  
  
    He was surely going to die.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the support I got on the last chapter! Just a reminder that I do not own anything! Kingdom Hearts, Hercules and Final Fantasy all belong to Square Enix and Disney.

 

  **October 1276 B.C.**  
**183 Years Later**

  
    The day he was born was loud. With his arrival came celebration, festivities, family, and good food. Lord Cloud, or Lord Zeus as he was known to some, god of the skies and commander of thunder, had gone out of his way to make sure everyone on Olympus knew well enough to pay their respects to his new son. Sora didn't seem to mind the racket his family was making one bit. The boy, with his deep ocean blue eyes, his unruly chocolate hair, and soft baby skin was perfect embodiment of everything one would look for in a god. Everything that day had gone according to plan.

  
    Well, almost everything. There did happen to be one older brother, one recently new uncle, who hadn't deemed it worth his time to show up. And though it irked Cloud, so was Xemnas' way. The man rarely left his realm in the Underworld, always claiming that he didn't have time to, quote, "journey to the top of that blasted mountain for nothing but piss-water wine and inane small talk with family who've had their head's in the clouds too long". End quote.

  
    The least he could have done was show up in person to leave the gift he had sent. As it were, his errand boy had shown in his stead. The boy - Riku was it? - had appeared in a cloud of darkness, as was their way in the underworld, with a box and his usual surly attitude. Barely two hundred years old, and the man acted as his life had ended decades ago. His dark clothes kept him concealed, with the hood of his chlamys cloak tight over his head, he hadn't even looked at the baby. He set the package on the gift table, uttered a simple "from your brother", and left the way he came in.

  
    Just fantastic.

  
    But he'd known Xemnas long enough to understand that there was no point making a big fuss. Nothing would come of it. So when the festivities were over, he'd proudly taken his family back home for some well-deserved rest. Sora was sound asleep when he left him. His new playmate Pegasus, a gift from Cloud himself, curled up beside the babe. Everything was perfect. Isn't that always how it is before tragedy strikes?

  
    They broke into the house in the middle of the night. Nobody claimed to have seen them. It was like a shadow had slipped in and taken his son, leaving no trace behind. The sky rumbled when Cloud rushed into little Sora's bedroom, only to find it empty. Lightning ripped through the air when he shouted the order to put the whole kingdom on high alert. And rain pounded the ground below them when he realized that their search had been in vain. Make no mistake, Sora had been found. But he may as well have been gone forever.

      The humans who had found him were good people at least. The gods could take comfort in knowing that Sora would be raised with all the love and care his true home would have provided. The problem lay in the nature of his discovery. Somehow in the twenty-four hours between going missing and showing up again on Earth far below, the boy had changed. He still had the godlike glow in his heart but it was no longer visible to the naked eyes of most mortals. He still had his incredible strength, inherited from his father, but that was likely to alienate him from his peers as he grew; it had no place on the ground.

     But all that Cloud and his wife, Tifa, could do was watch him grow up from a distance, hoping that one day their precious son would discover for himself who he really was. That maybe there was a small chance he could find his way back to them on his own, though that would be asking quite a lot from the lad. It was difficult, gaining immortality. One had to be predisposed for it, and had to seek it out for themselves. Cloud only knew one man who had successfully imposed immortality on an unwilling victim, and Riku had nearly been killed as a result of Xemnas' foolishness. He wouldn't take that chance with Sora, wouldn't use the black magic that had changed Riku from at least partially human into... something else. Not quite a demon, but close enough. Dog of Death, they called him on the ground. No, he'd rather lose his son forever than submit him to that. The humans would have to be good enough.

    For now.

~~~

**20 Years Later**

    Sora had been moping for hours now. Cid had thought that a trip into town would have brightened the lad's mood some. He'd been on spending more and more time on his own as of late, and there were others there his own age that he could talk to. But that had proved to be all for not. Even before the incident in the pottery shop, Sora's peers had snubbed him; they knew better than to risk their lives hanging around someone who could crush a pillar with his bare hands.

     So they had left. Sora now sat on boulder looking out at the small lake Cid's blacksmith shop nestled next to. The older man sighed and ran his fingers through his short blonde hair. A soft hand rested on his elbow and he turned to catch to solemn smile of his dear wife, Lucrecia. She nodded in the direction of her adopted son. "Why don't you go get him. I think it's time he was told the truth."

     Cid worried the piece of straw he held between his lips over to the other side of his mouth. Maybe she was right. It had been a long time coming and maybe it would give Sora a little comfort to know. He nodded and plucked the straw from his mouth, tossing it to the side.

     Sora looked up when his foster father approached. He forced a smile to his usually happy go lucky face, but it was clear he couldn't put behind it the same joy he usually held. "Sora, come inside with me a moment. Your mom and I want to talk a bit."

     "Okay dad." Sora leaped to his feet, ever obedient. Really, they couldn't have asked for a more perfect child when he and Lucrecia came to terms with the fact that they wouldn't be having any of their own. He led the boy back inside the cottage and sat him down at the dining room table. Lucrecia was already there and had fetched a little box from her room.

     "Mom?" Sora questioned, seeing the tears that were already dampening her eyes. "Is everything okay?"

     "Have a seat, love. Your father and I have something important to talk about. But before that, I want you to know that we've loved you more than you could ever know and that nothing will ever change that."

     Sora looked up at his father. "Dad, what's she talking about?"

     Cid shook his head, motioning to the chair and Sora sat. "Son, you've always known you was different." He spoke in a rich, rumbling voice. "We've always known too. And we think it's high time for ya to find out why."

     The brunet could only nod at the words, not seeming at all surprised. Of course he was different. It was impossible not to tell. He looked normal on the outside, but the second he touched something, entire buildings fell to ruin. So Cid continued. "Now, your mother and I have love you and raised you as our own since you were a baby, but we haven't been very forthcoming. You aren't our, you see. We discovered you at the bottom of Mount Olympus, a gift from the gods if there ever was one."

     Sora's head whipped up, his sapphire eyes widening. "At the bottom of... You mean, you aren't my parents...?"

     Lucrecia pushed her box forward, nudging Sora's hand with it. "You were a blessing to us, Sora. The gods sent you to us with this around your neck, so we knew exactly where you had come from." Sora frowned and opened the lid the had been pressed under his fingers. In it was a short silver chain, looking like it was just big enough for a baby, and a pendant of a wolf carrying a ring in its mouth dangling from the end. On the back of it, in incredibly small letters, his name was engraved.

     Turning it between his fingers, Sora admired its craftsmanship. It was made from extremely fine material and was lighter than any metal he'd ever held before. "This is the symbol of Zeus..." The boy's face broke into a grin and he jump up, nearly knocking his chair over behind him. "That explains it everything! Zeus must have wanted me to be here with you because I had some kind of purpose!"

     His mother smiled. Leave it to Sora to find happiness even under the most life changing news. He threw his arms around both of his parents; they would still be his parents, no matter what happened. But now he knew that he didn't always have to be such a burden, Lord Zeus had giving him a purpose. He just had to find out what it all meant. Pulling back, Sora kissed their cheeks. "I have to go. I'll go to the temple, and maybe..." Realizing that he might be getting ahead of himself, he clasped Lucrecia's hand.

     "...I'm going to miss you guys. But I have to find out who I am."

     Lucrecia pulled his head down to kiss the top of it. "We know, sweetheart. We know."

~~~

     It was a long journey. Lucrecia had packed him a bag with a handful of supplies, food, water, and one extra set of clothes. He had to travel light as the family only had one donkey and he was needed for Cid's work in the smithy. So he had to only pack what he could carry. Other than the travel sack, all he brought was a hunting knife and the wolf head charm his mother had given him. He'd found a new chain for it, though not a nice as the last, this one actually fit and he wore it around his neck with pride.

     Traveling to the temple from his house took five days. It was the reason his family had not gone very often when he was young. He had to stop to find shelter along the way, sometimes sleeping at small shrines for lesser gods that were scattered through the land, sometimes hiding out under a tree to escape the wind and rain. He wondered at times if this was even going to be worth the trouble. Would he get there and have to return home empty handed? Would his prayer be answered, but only for him to find out that he was a fluke of nature and that's why the gods had left him to die in the wilderness? He couldn't dwell on these things for long. It wasn't in his nature to fail without even trying.

     When he finally reached the temples base, he was overjoyed. Climbing the hill to the top was the longest he thought he'd ever had to wait, and he nearly sprung his ankle trying to get to the front doors even faster. It was windier at the top, and Sora stopped to take a look around, admire the countryside. He tilted his head up, letting a heavy gust ruffle the soft brown spikes of hair that stuck out in every conceivable direction. This was it. Even if he never found out why he was so different from everyone else, he could make peace with himself eventually with just the knowledge that somewhere in his life, he'd been touched by a god, and he had done everything he could to find the truth.

     The Temple of Zeus was even bigger on the inside than it looked from down below. Blue and yellow tiles in intricate patterns swirled across the walls. Pools of water were built into the walls, made for washing before worship or a ceremony. Torches stuck out from every pillar, but had not been lit in a few days by the looks of it. And the center of it all, a statue of the god himself, sitting on a marble thrown twenty feet high. Sora was always on the shorter side for his age, but he knew that standing at the feet of this man, even the king himself would feel small.

    Sora had always wondered if the depictions of the gods from a human standpoint were at all accurate. Some people claimed to have seen or spoken to one before, but they were usually sick or delusional, with one foot in the grave already. This particular piece depicted the god with spiky hair in similar fashion to his own, but a tad longer and definitely more tame. He wore a stern expression and traditional himation. On the shoulder, clasping the wrap together, was the same wolf head that Sora now carried around his neck.

     Clutching the pendant over his heart, Sora got down on both knees at Zeus' feet and bowed his head. "Great Lord Zeus, I come to you seeking knowledge. I have to know, why was I sent here? Why am I so different from the rest of this world?"

     Nothing.

     Sora stayed down where he was, waiting. He wasn't sure what he expected, certainly not for the big marble statue to come to life and start talking, that would be ridiculous. But he'd hoped for... something. Not yet ready to give up after traveling all this way, he tried again. "Please. I know you have no reason to speak to someone like me, but this is my last option. I'll take anything, even just a small sign that you can hear me. I just don't want to be a burden anymore..." His formality began to slip, as he lost hope. How foolish was he to think he could just travel to the closest temple and expect Zeus - _the_ Zeus - to appear out of nowhere. Well, he had tried, hadn't he? And the traveling itself had been fun if nothing else. Stay positive. He wasn't any worse off than before, right?

     Getting up from the ground, he turned to leave, trying hard to keep his head held high. Almost to the door, something caught his attention. Was that a ''woosh' he had just heard behind him? And the room was suddenly brighter. He looked back over his shoulder. There was a washing pool nestled in between the statues feet, and the two torches on either side were lit where they had not been before. Well, had he asked for a sign or hadn't he? But best to approach with caution.

     The water on the surface of the pool rippled, making Sora jump, before he carefully leaned over to see inside. At first he didn't understand what he was looking at. His reflection was there, but it was not quite him. For starters, his hair was not blond like it appeared to be in the water, and though they both wore the same expression of confusion and had matching deep blue eyes, he wasn't that old.

     "Sora?" Sora squeaked and dropped his travel sack, nearly jumping out of his skin when the water spoke. The reflection's expression shifted to a relieved, disbelieving grin. "It really is you!"

     "W-who are you?" Sora demanded. "How do you know my name?"

     The water spirit chuckled. "Did you not come to my temple looking for me? Did you not just tell me you had questions?"

     Sora was hesitant. Now that he was getting his wish, what was he supposed to say? He didn't think he'd actually end up face to face with a god! "... Lord Zeus?" he questioned.

     "No need to be so formal, Sora. You can just call me 'father'. By the heavens, look how you've grown..." Zeus was looking at him was a forlorn expression, something crossed between relief and guilt, and Sora had to admit that he didn't think a god would know much about either of those feelings.

     "Father??" The word registered late and came like a slap to the face. "What are you talking about? You can't be my father! That would mean I'm a... a..." The man looked at him with a sad smile and Sora blanched, manors forgotten. "You can't be serious."

     "You said you wanted answers didn't you?"

     This was too much. He'd thought he'd been given his strength because the gods had wanted him to do something, go on a mission to kill some monster, help people, that kind of thing. Not that it had been inherited! He felt his knees giving out and readily sank to the floor, leaning his back against the statue's foot. Now that he saw the god in person, he realized the stone depiction really had captured his liking. But that was missing the point. It was several seconds several very long seconds, before Sora spoke again. His whole life, everything he'd ever known, had been turned on its head this week and all he could think to ask was "what happened?".

     Zeus sighed and scratched the back of his head in a very human gesture. "You were just a baby when we lost you. Someone kidnapped you and stole your immortality. By the time we tracked you down, you were already on the ground. We still haven't found out who was responsible."

     Sora rubbed as his eyes, trying to clear his head long enough to process it all. He finally got back to his feet and peered over the edge of the basin. "So... you did want me then?"

     The god looked startled. "Of course, Sora! Your mother and I love you. It's been horrible watching you grow up away from us."

     "And there was nothing you could do? I thought gods could give someone immortality if they wanted. Couldn't you just give it back to me?"

     The reflection shook his head. "I can't, Sora, but you can!" Sora blinked with confusion and the man continued. "You have to become a true Hero of Heart. But then you could come back home, where you belong. If that's what you wanted, of course..."

     Where he belonged. That's all Sora had ever wanted, was to be wanted. And he'd always believed that he wasn't meant to be here, that there was something else out there for him. Sure, he might miss the parents he had been raised by, but if it meant going home, his _real_ home, he knew they would understand and want the best for him. So Sora nodded, his expression turning alight with excitement for his newfound purpose. "I do. I want to come back."

     Zeus looked equally overjoyed. "There is a someone who can help you, on an island not far from here. His name is Philoctetes. Find him. And one more thing, Sora." Sora would have bolted to the door in his excitement, if his father hadn't called out for him to wait. The god put two fingers to his mouth and whistled. The sound echoed through the temple and bounced off the walls. A moment later there came the clacking of hooves meeting the ground and Zeus grinned. "He'll meet you outside."

     Curiosity got the better of him, and Sora hurried out. The horse was magnificent. He was all white with wings that shimmered an iridescent blue in the light of the moon. The creature seemed excited as Sora was to see him, and he tossed his mane, galloping over to the boy's side. Something clicked in Sora's memory; a door unlocked and opened that he hadn't even know was there to begin with. He grinned and reached out to pet his new friend's neck. "Thank you father. Come on Pegasus. We've got a long way to go." The horse grunted in agreement.

**12 Months Later**

     "Alright kid, don't go gettin' too far ahead of yourself, now." Phil chided, trying to rein in his charge who was hacking his way through the forest with a sword, just looking for trouble. Sora had grown up a lot in the last year. Under the careful guidance of Phil, the satyr his father had sent him to find, Sora had learned not only how to hone his strength without hurting anyone or anything, but had also trained in sword fighting, archery, and hand to hand combat. He wasn't a master yet by any means, and certainly not ready to take anyone on yet, but on his twenty first birthday, Sora had made Phil promise that they could start doing some training in the real world after he'd completed his first year. Now that Sora was trampling his way through the woods, Phil was starting to regret that agreement.

     "Hey, Sor, listen up for just a sec, alright?" Sora turned his blue gaze on his mentor. "You can't just wander around this part of the world all willy nilly and expect someone who needs help to just fall into your lap, right? You gotta focus. Look at your surroundings. Tell me what you see."

     Sora looked up and turned in a circle, searching for anything that might hint at someone in trouble. It was all quiet, which was unnerving in itself. There should have at least been birds singing or bugs chirping. Maybe Phil had been right. In his hastiness, maybe he had scared some of those creatures off. "I'm sorry, Phil, I don't really see-" he broke off when a flock of birds in the distance suddenly leaped above the trees, squawking in excitement. "There!"

     "Okay good, those birds are clearly upset about something. Now, before we go running in there we have to come up with a pla-ah-HEY!" Phil stumbled after Sora, his short legs making keeping up with the boy difficult. "Hey, kid, hold on!"

     Sora didn't listen, and Pegasus followed him close behind, running straight for the danger. Sora at least had the sense to stop before they were seen, hiding behind the boulders at the edge of the river he'd discovered. A waterfall roared providing the perfect cover of mist when Phil finally caught up and collapsed next to Sora in wheezes.

     "Sora..." he gulped at the air. "What did I just tell you?!"

     "Phil, look!" Sora pointed at the scene, cutting off what was sure to be one of Phil's famous rampages. "What... are they?"

     Phil followed his charge's finger and went still. The beings fighting in front of him were not your usual run of the mill friendly forest creatures. The one on the left he recognized, ghastly tall, a centaur who guarded the river. It was the other one that was cause for concern. Sora didn't wait for his response before his studies on magical beasts kicked in.

     "Wait, that's Nessus, right? The river guardian? Who is the other guy...? A hellhound? I thought they were supposed to be black?" The other animal looked to be the more ferocious of the two. At a distance, a hellhound looked everything like your typical black wolf; long and graceful, with thick fur and a powerful body. But up close you could tell how much bigger than their animal counterparts they were. This particular hellhound stood with it's back as high as Sora's chest, and that was with it being on all fours. His massive paws could snap Sora's ribs with little effort and he could shatter Sora's skull in his jaw. And then there was its pelt. Sora was also right about hellhounds usually being black. The fact that this one was silver, a color marked by death, made his blood run cold. No way would the boy survive that thing.

     "Hey, kid," Phil started nervously. "This is not your fight. You aren't ready to take either one of those guys on by yourself, trust me. I have a very bad feeling about them..." The two creatures snarled at each other and the centaur charged. He stomped at the dog with his hooves, sending water spraying. He attempted to spear the creature on the end of his harpoon. He picked up boulders and hurled them over head, shattering rock in all directions. Each time the hound dodged, much too quick for his opponent. Nessus roared his frustration and the hellhound held his ground.

     Sora watched with a numb fascination. "Why doesn't the hellhound fight back? It could take this guy easily, couldn't he?" Phil nodded and Sora shook his head. "This doesn't make any sense. Maybe it's already hurt? Or what if Nessus started the fight?"

     "Sora, it doesn't matter. It's a demon. You're going to help a demon??"

     The boy stood from his crouched position. "A true Hero stands up for any innocent creature, no matter what. Hey! UGLY! OVER HERE!" Phil sunk to the ground and hid his face in his hands when Sora yelled out, waving his arms over his head like a lunatic. This momentarily distracted both of the warriors but Nessus recovered first and swung an arm at the hound's side while the silvery beast eyed their intruder. The dog yelped and his paws lifted from the ground, flying across the pond and straight into the rocks on the shallow edge.

     "Hey! Leave him alone!" The creature grunted and turned his attention fully to him, then angrily sauntered over.

     "What do you want, human?" Nessus was nearly nose to nose with Sora and the boy choked on the rotten fish smell of his breath.

     "Y-you two can't fight here," he managed to choke out. "Someone could get hurt. I'm asking you to put away your weapon and stand down."

     The centaur threw back his head and laughed. "Stand down! Do you know who I am! That mongrel is here for something that belongs to me. We have unfinished business. Get lost!"

     Sora swallowed. He was considering the guy's words and was acutely aware of how badly outmatched he would be if the hellhound decided that he also wanted to get rid of the Hero. But the he caught sight of the dog carefully lifting himself out of the water, the fur on his side dripping with blood. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

     Nessus roared again and charged. Phil shouted something about rule number twenty-seven. Twenty-seven, twenty-seven, what was that one again? Right, his sword! A hero was only as good as his weapon, even if his weapon was his own body. Sora brandished his sword in front of him. It was a simple blade, borrowed from Phil and his arsenal of weapons. But Phil had promised that someday when he was better with magic, he'd be able to call upon his own weapon at will. For now, though, with Nessus rearing up on his back legs to stomp Sora into the mud, it would have to do.

     And he froze. Nessus was much, much bigger when he stood at his full height like that. He was enough to block out the sun.

     "Move, kid, move!" Phil was shouting frantically from the sidelines, trying his best to get Sora's attention. But the brunet had gone statue still and the centaur's hooves were poised above Sora's head.

     Sora came back to his senses only when a furry mass was thrust into his side and they both went sprawling into deeper water. He gasped when his head emerged, sitting up and looking around to see what had happened. But all he could see was silver and seafoam green. Silver like the fur of the hellhound and a green that seemed to glow.

     _**Are you going to move, or are you going to sit there and let him paint the rocks of this river with your blood!**_

     Eyes. It was the dog's eyes he was looking at, that were boring him. They were startling, so vibrant they looked like they were burning, and alight with furry. Was that his voice? I sounded young. It sounded human.

     _**Get! UP! Or I will let you die here in the shallows!**_ The growl that punctuated the demand was enough to rip Sora out of his trance and put him back on his feet. Lost as to what to do, he only stood there for a second before remembering his sword, and scrambled around in the water to look for it.

     The wolf-like creature next to him made a noise that sounded like it would have been an exasperated sigh if it had been human. He shook the water from his coat and charged the centaur, clearly no longer content to simply play the defensive. Nessus had also recovered from the shock of missing his target and was turning around to face them both with his harpoon raised over his head. The dog leaped, and by the gods, he was fast. Sora blinked. He had gone from standing right next to him to dangling from Nessus' shoulder, clenched tight between his jaws, in an instant.

     "Kid! Kid, are you alright!?"

     Sora looked over at Phil and nodded numbly.

     "Well then ya better get your head on straight! I don't think he's willing to rescue you twice." Sora grunted his agreement and clutched at the hilt of his blade with trembling hands. He'd started this, he was going to see it through. The hound had released Nessus when the centaur reached back to swipe at him, and backed away. He's green eyes flicked over when he saw Sora approach and he swiveled back to nip at Nessus' rear legs.

     He was distracting him for him, Sora realized. So much of this didn't make sense. Why wouldn't he just kill the guy himself? Not that Sora wanted to kill him either, once he thought about it. What was he going to do? He was putting everyone in danger by just standing there. He had a decision to make.

     Finally, Sora tossed his sword to the side, near the rocks where Phil cowered. "Sora, what are you doing!" But he ignored him, like he'd been doing all day. It was definitely too soon for an outing, but he couldn't change that now.

     Sora ran, putting all the strength he had to propel him forward. Nessus was busy trying to shake the dog off of his back, where he had recently attached himself, and didn't notice when Sora barreled head first into his side. The centaur flew, and Sora grimaced when the hellhound did too. The hound ended up in the deepest part of the river, much to Sora's relief, but Nessus smacked straight into the waterfall with a crack. He hit the ground, unconscious as the water pelted his body. The young hero picked up the harpoon he had dropped and turned it over in his hands to admire it.

     "I did it? I did it!" Sora cheered and bounded back over to his mentor. "PHIL! Phil did you see that!? How's was that for a game plan, huh!" In his excitement he almost didn't catch the disapproving scowl Phil was offering him. When he did, he visibly deflated. "Ah come on, Phil! I beat the guy, doesn't that count for something?"

     "Yeah, yeah, you beat the river guardian, but for what? You don't even know what those two were fighting ov-". He broke off and his eyes went wide. Good gods above, he knew there was something wrong about that hellhound, but on a scale from bad to terrible, this had potential to be a catastrophe. "Sora, get back."

     "What, what's wrong?" Sora looked over his shoulder and was nearly as shocked as Phil was. A man, he couldn't be much older than himself, was dragging himself out of the water. He was tall and pale and dripping wet, a trail of blood running down his muscular arm. His hair was long, and the same silver as the wolf being he had just encountered. The man ripped his black sleeveless shirt over his head in disgust and inspected his side where a second wound was weeping blood over his ribs. But it wasn't until he turned around and Sora noticed the rage burning in a pair of familiar sea green eyes. The hellhound was a person. A ridiculously angry person who was marching over his way with murder written plain across his face.

     "What in hell's name did you think you were doing!?" Sora stumbled back when he shouted, angrier than anyone had ever been with him. So it had been his voice he'd heard in his head during the fight. How had he done that? He was distracted, until the man caught him by the collar and pulled him off his feet, right up to those blazing eyes. Instincts kicking in, he grabbed the man's hands and started to struggle.

     "H-hey, I was just trying to help! You looked like you needed it! That guy could have totally crushed you!" He slipped out of the guy's grasp and landed on his backside with an 'oof'.

     "Help?!" This guy was livid. "You didn't 'help' anything! You may have given me a concussion, though. And I had everything under control!" True to his word, there was a bright red spot seeping through the silver of his hair, adding to the mess on his shoulder and side.

     Sora winced. "I-i'm sorry. Um... you're hurt, why don't you sit down so I can help patch you up?" He added sheepishly.

     The silverette looked disgusted, whether by the offer or by who it came from, he wasn't sure. He raised his foot and brought it down hard in the water by Sora's side, splashing a large amount into the boy's face. Sora coughed and rubbed his eyes, scrambling backwards to the rocks. "Hey!"

     The man looked down at the weapon in the Hero's hand and his raging temper cooled to an icy glare. "Give me the spear." He demanded.

     Sora pushed his soaking hair out of his eyes as he stood and looked at the harpoon in his hand, then back up to the being in front of him. "Why? What do you want with it?"

     "That's none of your business." He snapped. "Give it to me. Trust me, you don't want me to take it from you."

     One thing they could agree on, at least. "Kid, do what he says." Phil had finally spoken up next to them and was nudging the back of Sora's knee with his elbow, looking panicked.

     "Yeah kid, do what he says." The man mimicked, amusement touching his voice when he realized who the brat's companion was. Figures, a Hero trainee would come trampling right into his business deal.

     Sora frowned. "I'm twenty-one, I'll have you know! I'm not a kid. And who are you to talk, you can only be a few years older than me at the most!"

     The man snarled and for a second it sounded the same as the beast he had transformed into only moments before. "I am two-hundred and twenty-six years old, little Hero. And if you want to avoid crossing me again, you'll hand over the spear. You've no use for it."

     That information caught him off guard. It shouldn't have, already knew the stranger wasn't human, but it did. Sora didn't even want to guess what use for the spear this guy had, or why it was so valuable to him. But he was right, he didn't need it, couldn't use it, and didn't intend to give it back to their unconscious friend, either. "How about a trade?"

     "Sor..." Phil warned, but Sora plowed onward.

     "You don't want to kill me. If you did, you would have just let Nessus do the job and wouldn't have saved my life. Thank you, by the way." He added onto the end, only just remembering. "How about you let me bandage you up and then I'll give you the spear?"

     The guy stared, but was void of any rude or sarcastic comebacks. He turned suddenly, walking back over to fetch his shirt and also a short black cloak Sora hadn't even realized was dangling from a tree. He rang the blood and water out of the shirt and wrapped the cloak over his shoulders, flipping the hood up over his head. It was only to his mid-thigh in length but there were so many wraps and folds that he was completely concealed underneath.

     At first Sora thought that he was leaving, forgetting his prize in favor of disappearing into the trees. But he doubled back around and motioned for Sora to follow. "Come on, Hero. We have to leave before he wakes up or there will be even more blood in the water."

     Okay, so there were maybe two things they could agree on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has followed along so far! Just a little heads up, this chapter and the ones following it do have a bit of violence, and though it won't be graphic, it does discuss some of the abuse that Riku has had to go through.

     The stranger walked a few feet ahead at a brisk pace and Sora couldn't help but wonder what the rush was for. They had made it well beyond the river guardian's boundaries, but his new wolfy friend hadn't slowed at all since they left. He was also weaving in and around the trees in such an unorganized manner, that even Sora was getting disoriented trying to keep up. It was crazy for an injured man! And Sora could tell his situation wasn't getting any better. Despite the man's best efforts to use his ruined shirt to stanch the bleeding, Sora noticed a steady blood trail dripping from under his chlamys.

     Phil grabbed one of Sora's fingers and pulled to slow the Hero down. When they were well enough away that he was sure the other wouldn't hear them, he spoke. "Sora, I know you want to help, but this guy is extremely dangerous!" he hissed. "I think you should just give him the spear like he wants and then you and I are going to hop on Pegasus' back and get as far away from him as possible. He can take can take care of his injuries on his own, I promise. Only reason he's going along with this is so you'll give him what he wants."

     The brunet frowned. "Phil what aren't you telling me? Do you know who he is?"

     Phil fidgeted, not sure how much he should say. "...Yes, I do. I don't know his name but no one calls him by it anyway. Have you ever heard of the Dog of Death?"

     Sora thought it was possible he might have, but he had never socialized enough with any of his neighbors back home to be kept in the local gossip ring, or to have been taught much about folklore. So he shook his head.

     Sighing, Phil continued. "We haven't gotten to him in your studies yet, that's why you wouldn't have recognized him. But he belongs to Lord Hades of the Underworld. He's sometimes called Death's Guard Dog or Death's Right Hand. His soul is bound to Lord Hades, and Hades uses the darkness in him for whatever he wants. He collects debts and has been known to rip the souls out of those who can't keep their word. He's like a mercenary, a weapons master, an informant, and a delivery boy rolled into one. Not many people have actually seen him, but he's supposed to take the form of a young man with ghost white skin and silver hair."

     Sora stared at the back of this supposed mercenary they were following with newfound trepidation. He certainly fit Phil's description, right down to the viciousness he had shown Sora when they argued on the riverbank. But no one person could be that terrible, could they? "Phil, he saved my life. He didn't have to do that. If he were a cold blooded killer, he wouldn't have bothered. And he wouldn't be trying to reason with me now either to get this." Sora hoisted up the harpoon he still carried. "Maybe, he's not as bad as you think he is."

     "Kid, Heroes have died at this man's hands." Phil argued, looking up at him with a scowl.

     The boy flinched. He didn't want to step on any toes but it just wasn't in his nature to judge someone he just met before he even knew their name. "He could have just been following orders?"

     "Is that supposed to make it okay?"

     "No, I guess not, but... Look, let's just talk to him, okay?" Phil didn't respond. There was no point, Sora had already made up his mind. All he could do was hope that Sora was careful.

     Pegasus snorted and nudged Sora in the back with his muzzle. Sora looked back at him and smiled. "What is it, boy?" The horse stamped his feet and shook his head at their companion up ahead. The Hero followed his gesture and only now noticed that their mysterious friend had stopped and had his shoulder leaning against the trunk of a tree. His boundless energy seemed to be finally wearing down as his injuries caught up to him. Blood freely splattered the dirt and now Sora was worried.

     "Hey... I don't think he's going to catch up to us all the way out here. We should stop and get you cleaned up. Then, maybe we can go into town together and get you a healer..."

     The man pushed himself off the tree and squared his shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Hero. And I don't think it's Nessus that will be following us either. Now, if you two are done gossiping..." He stepped over to a small patch of grass and sat down. Embarrassed, but not going to argue, Sora rummaged through Pegasus' saddle bag and fished out his first aid kit. It was a small sack, equipped with gauze, needles, and bandages. That in hand, Sora hurried over to his new patient. It wasn't often he got to try out his medical skills on anyone but himself.

     The guy looked to the bag in Sora's hands with annoyance. "What, a Hero like yourself doesn't know any cure magic?"

     Sora shook his head as he pulled out the bandages. "Not yet. I'm supposed to be traveling to Thebes because there's a healer there who can teach me that kind of thing. I hear she's incredible!" He looked over the man in front of him. He was still bundled up in his cloak, despite the situation, and didn't look at all willing to cooperate. "...May I...?"

     The silverette snorted and unbuttoned the clasp on his shoulder that held the article together. "Be my guest." At his side he was still holding the shirt he'd been wearing before and didn't put it down. Sora wasn't sure he was ready to deal with a wound that size anyway so instead he reached for the spot on the others head where red had slipped through.

     He was stopped by cold hand wrapping around his wrist like a vice. The guy's grip was nearly bruising but Sora's was more trapped by his stare. His eyes had narrowed with warning. "Do not touch my hair." He spoke slowly and leaving no room for argument, like he thought Sora might have trouble understanding.

     Sora nodded and was released. Finicky, this guy. So he moved to the cut on his shoulder instead. It was long but not very deep, most of the bleeding already stopped by now. But just to be safe, Sora slapped a bandaid on there anyway. Being this close up, he couldn't help but notice how smooth the others skin was, which seemed odd for someone involved in such dangerous work. The only thing that marred him was the rune on his chest, a heart shaped symbol with an 'x' through the center and three prongs as a tail.  Recognizing it as the mark of Hades he looked away, not wanting to seem like he was staring. "I'm Sora by the way."

     The information was met with a grunt.

     "...What's your name?" That only received a glare. Sora huffed. "Okaaay, so why do you want the spear so badly? Is that what Nessus meant when he said you were there for something that belonged to him?"

     "What is this, twenty questions? Can't you just get on with it in peace?" He tossed his ruined shirt to the side and moved his arm at Sora's request so the boy could finally get a look at the gash under his ribs.

     "No... I just thought we might as well get to know each other while we were here," Sora attempted. Wow, the wound on his side needed serious attention. Probably more than he would be able to give. But there was no way he'd be able to convince Moody Judy here to see a real healer, so he'd have to do the best he could.

     "Why on Earth would you think that?" The man flinched at Sora's touch and shot him an icy glare. Sora made a note to be very careful. "Listen Hero, I don't know who you think you are-"

     "Sora. Remember?"

     "-and I really don't care," he continued like he hadn't even heard the interruption. "And I'll bet that whatever lightweight deity fathered you probably doesn't care either. Whoever you're trying to impress, he probably has a hundred others just like you, so do yourself a favor; get out of this game while you're still alive and go home."

     Sora was stunned. Then that shock bubbled over to anger. It was an odd sensation; very few times in his life had he been so angry he wanted to hit someone, which is what he wanted to do to this guy right now. But he knew the kind of damage that could do and the kind of fight it would instigate so he settled for throwing the roll of gauze in the others face and jumping to his feet indignantly. "You don't know what you're talking about! I'm doing this right now because I'm _trying_ to go home! And you don't know anything about my parents either! I'm the son of Zeus, I'll have you know, Mr. Attitude!"

     The brunet was red in the face, his fists clenched at into angry balls at his sides, and 'Mr. Attitude' look like he was trying not to laugh at the sight. He picked the bandage off of his head where it had harmlessly unraveled and started to wrap it around his chest himself. But the amused expression fell away to suspicion when Sora announced his parentage. "Sorry kid, I don't know who's been lying to you, but that's not possible."

     " _What?_ And just why isn't that possible??"

     "Because," he stressed the word. "Zeus' son died years ago. As a baby, only a day or two old."

     "Huh? No he didn't! I mean, I didn't. Who told you something like that?"

     "Lord Hades, God of Death, maybe you've heard of him? It's his business to know these kinds of things, especially considering Cloud is his younger brother."

     "Who?"

     Wolf boy huffed and tied off his wrapping with a quick and practiced knot before getting up to his feet to face Sora. "See and there's another thing. You'd think the son of an almighty might at least know the real name of the man he called 'daddy'."

     Sora shrank at the words and stepped back. "Real name? Zeus isn't his real name?"

     "No. None of the name's the gods go by on Earth are their real names, those are more like titles. Now if you're done, give me the spear and get lost. And quit spouting nonsense about being air to the throne of Olympus, while you're at it. Cloud and Tifa have suffered enough with the loss of their son as it is, they don't need some half-wit, wanna be Hero running around and slandering their child's name."

     He still didn't believe him, Sora realized. But more than that, he sounded like he might have actually met his parents in person before, which was more than Sora could say, and that he held them to some level of respect. Having only spoken to the god once before, it was no wonder he knew so little about his family. He wasn't going to give up the spear until he knew more. In fact, he slipped the necklace off over his head and placed that in the outstretched hand instead.

     The silverette eyed the pendant suspiciously, looking from it to Sora's deep blue eyes. He had to admit, he'd only seen eyes like that on a few other people, all of them gods. And metal like this only came from the heavens. Plus, there was the wolf head and the name on the back. "....How old did you say you were again?"

     "Twenty-one as of October."

     "...Look, if what you say is true-"

     "It is!"

     The taller boy thrust out a hand to cut him off, and silence him with a glare. "Do not interrupt me. If what you say is true, then you should keep it to yourself for a little while, until you can properly defend yourself without a repeat of today's fiasco. Cloud and Tifa themselves were the ones spreading the rumor of your death, and I can only think of a few reasons they'd want to keep you a secret. None of those bode well for you."

     He held the necklace back out, and when Sora accepted it, he then motioned for the spear. Sora looked at the weapon and held it close to his chest. "Why didn't you just kill Nessus for this?"

     "It would have been a worthless hunk of metal if I'd done that. It loses it power and transfers it to the next river guardian if his predecessor dies. Hand it over."

     Sora didn't move. He knew he was fast losing his leverage on this man, and that if he didn't give up the harpoon soon, he would lose his patience with the Hero. But this guy was the only person he'd ever met that had real information about his parents and where they came from. Maybe even the rest of his family too. He couldn't just let that go. "You didn't exactly let me fix you up, you know."

     "Gave me the bandages didn't you? I'll have my master take care of it later." He took a step closer, threateningly close, and Sora stepped back to compensate.

     "I'll give it to you in exchange for your name? And a promise that you have to meet me again to tell me more about the gods."

     Sea green eyes fixed on him for an uncomfortably long minute, when suddenly he reached out and swiped the weapon from Sora's hands. Sora didn't even think he saw it, really. It was like a viper had lashed out at him and then the spear was gone, in the hands of a man who was turning his back on the Hero and wrapping himself back up in his cloak.

     "Riku."

     Then he was gone, disappearing in a cloud of black.

~~~

     "Alright, kid, from now on, no more side trips." Phil was marching in front of Sora and Pegasus like a drill sergeant as they approached the city gates of Thebes. "Though maybe you did learn a thing or two about how to pick your battles more carefully, huh? Sora? Sor, you even listening?"

     Sora looked up from his pondering with a sheepish smile. "Sorry Phil, I was just distracted. You know, I didn't think he was so bad. A little prickly, but he didn't do any harm."

     The commentary earned Sora a snort from his mentor. " 'No harm', he says. The two of you both nearly gave me a heart attack. Anyway, just put that lowlife vagabond out of your mind. With luck we'll never have to see hide nor hair of him ever again. And you can get on with focusing on your magic skills. Now, Kairi has done us the favor of securing us a place to stay for a while, so when you meet her, I want you to be on your best behavior, ya hear kid? Kid!"

     "Huh? Oh yeah, yeah I heard you Phil." Truth was, he hoped Phil was wrong about never seeing Riku again. He had been barely civil and Sora knew he was dangerous, but he had promised to tell him more about the gods. Well, almost promised. And maybe he could be persuaded to reveal a little more about himself too. On the other hand, they were finally off that horrible island and within visiting distance of a temple. He could go there and try and contact his father, maybe ask the man himself. After all, he hadn't heard from him since that first visit.

     Phil was speaking again and Sora could tell that his attention span was soon going to get him in even more trouble, so he interrupted before the satyr had a chance to ask another question. "Hey, do you think this Kairi person you're taking me to can show me how to use cure magic today? It could be really useful."

     His tutor frowned back at him, knowing full well where his question came from. "No. You're not nearly far enough along in your magic studies to learn any cure spells yet. But not to worry, we're going to work on that. From now on, you wake up, eat breakfast, run three laps around the city, well we'll start with three anyway..."

     Sora tuned him out. They had breached the gate and there was much more on the inside to hold his focus than Phil's boring training routine. The buildings here were huge! Bigger than anything he'd ever seen in his hometown. And there were so many people, bustling around so fast he didn't know where to step without running into someone.

     "Kid!" A harsh yank to his ear brought his attention back. Phil was hauling him through the crowd like a misbehaving child. "Listen, keep close to me, alright? This place is filled with all kinds of crazies, and not one of them could care less if you got trampled. Look. We're here."

     Sora looked up to the shop they stood before. It looked like a supply store, with potted plants lining the porch and other medicinal potions and equipment to be seen through the windows. "This is it? This is where we're staying?"

     "Our rooms are in the back along with a kitchen for us to use. There's a backdoor but we'll have to get the keys from our hosts first before we can use it. After that, stay out of the shop unless you're buying somethin'. I know how you are with breakables."

     A small giggle from behind made Sora turn. The girl that stood in front of him was about his age, with burgundy medium length hair, lavender eyes, and a scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. "I certainly hope that won't become a problem. My grandmother is very fond of her herbs, I don't know if I could protect you if you reduce the place to rubble."

     Her tone was teasing but Sora could still feel the heat rushing to his face, knowing that it wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened. He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck and thankfully Phil saved him from having to reply. "Sora, this Kairi. She'll be your magic and healing tutor starting tomorrow. Kairi." The satyr stepped forward with a large grin spread across his face. "Thanks for doing this for us, it's good to see you."

     Kairi laughed patted Phil on the head affectionately. "Of course. Anything for you Phil. This town has needed a new Hero for ages, I'm sure everyone will be thrilled."

     Sora grinned at the news. Maybe this whole Hero thing wouldn't be as hard as he thought it would. "It's nice to meet you Kairi. I'm Sora. Thanks for letting us stay here."

     She waved him off. "Or don't worry about it at all, the spare rooms haven't been used in months. It'll be good for Nana's business to have someone like yourself staying with us, so I should really be thanking you. Now. Why don't we get you two settled in and then you can get a good look around town?"

~~~

     It was late by the time Sora decided to sneak out. It had been a long day of running around town, meeting people, buying supplies to fill their tiny kitchen with. All and all, it was a nice place to live. The back of the shop had two small bedrooms, one upstairs that looked like an attic, and the other on the ground floor down the hall from their kitchen and living space. And all around Sora found little nooks and crannies hide things in or keep your storage out of the way. He found loose floorboards, cupboards in unusual places like leading up to the attic, and compartments under the window seats. There was even a large space under the stairs with a curtain hanging in front of it that was big enough for several people. It was cozy, if a little cramped, but neither of them had many belongings to bring with them. And everyone he had met that day had been great too, though they were all friends of Kairi's. He could tell from the start that they were going to get along great.

     But now that it was all finally over, and with his new training regime starting tomorrow, now was probably the best chance he was going to have at sneaking off to the temple of the gods. He had so many questions, and so much had happened, but most importantly, he wanted to begin to get to know the man he had recently started calling 'father'.

     This place looked the same as the one closest to his hometown, except it was bigger and sat right in the center of the city. Inside was decorated in similar fashion with blue and yellow tiles, torches, and wash basins, but with the exception of the statue. Instead of sitting at a throne, this one depicted Zeus standing up with his arms stretched out in welcome. For Sora, it was a sight he had missed the last year.

     He knew know what to do. Light the torches, call out the god's name, and wait by the water. The first time, he'd almost left before anything could happen, but now he'd make sure to wait all night if he had to. Luckily that wasn't necessary. He hadn't been looking the first time it happened, so he didn't notice the way the water began to glow and a light from inside started to swirl. Sora watched in fascination when the god's face suddenly appeared as a reflection on the surface. The god broke into a grin which Sora matched with one of his own. "Sora, it's so good to see you."

     "It's good to see you too, father. I found the Hero Trainer you sent me to look for."

     The older man nodded approvingly. "Yes, I saw. Your mother and I check in on you every now and then when we can. You've made a lot of progress, Sora. We couldn't be happier."

     "My mother... Tifa, right? Um, is it true that you don't go by your god names on Olympus?"

     The god tilted his head slightly. "Yes, that's true. My real name is Cloud, but where did you hear that? Not many people on the ground know about those names."

     Sora shuffled his feet. "Uh... I met someone today, who said he knew you. He said his name was Riku?"

     Cloud looked startled. Then concerned. And finally guilty. "You met Riku? What happened, how did you cross paths with him? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

     "No, no he didn't hurt me." Sora shook his head vigorously. "I may have stepped in on him arguing with a centaur, who got really mad, and Riku helped me."

     The blond nodded, not seeming at all shocked even though he had just accused the guy of laying a hand on his son. "What did he want with the centaur, do you know?"

     "Some... spear thing. I'm sorry father, he wouldn't tell me what he was going to do but I let him take it anyway."

     "No, Sora, don't be sorry, you did exactly what you should have. You haven't had enough training or experience yet to take on someone like Riku and he... he doesn't back down. He can't I should say, it's not up to him. I'm more worried about what your uncle would have wanted with the spear you mentioned..."

     Sora rubbed the back of his neck, wishing for the first time that there was a textbook on god politics and relations that he could read. He hated studying, especially when there was so much more to do with his time like train, or meet new people, seen new things. But he'd do it if only so he didn't feel so lost and confused all the time. "I don't think I understand..."

     Cloud sighed and the water rippled. He looked away and that guilty expression Sora had seen before returned. "Listen Sora, Riku doesn't do anything in his life without a direct order from your uncle Xemnas. Xemnas sends him all over the world for whatever he wants and Riku knows that there are consequences for disobeying him. Even if it's a suicide mission, Riku won't stop until he's seen it through or has been beaten to the point where he can't get up. If he was after a weapon, that means he was sent to fetch it from my brother, which could mean Xemnas is stirring up trouble again."

     "That sounds horrible." The Hero furrowed his brow at the idea. He didn't know Riku hardly at all but thought he could understand why he might have been such a jerk. He'd be upset too if he had to live forever at someone's beck and call. But there was something else, something his father didn't want him to know, he could tell. "But I guess it's not really Riku's fault then, right?"

     This time his father was quiet for an unusual amount of time. The reflection faded in and out and it took Sora a moment to realize that Cloud was shuffling his feet. It was so strange, whenever he had thought about how gods lived before now, he would have thought that there was nothing in their lives they could do wrong, that they were at the top of the food chain and any actions they did or didn't take would be indisputable. But this man, who should be by all rights, the most influential person in the world right now, looked as human as anyone.

     "No, it's not Riku's fault," he finally said. "I take full responsibility for whatever happens to that boy. I should have stopped Xemnas from experimenting on him. He treats Riku like an immortal guinea pig, but at this point, there's nothing I can do to help. But we don't need to talk about that all night. Why don't you tell me about your magic studies?"

~~~

     The moon was high and bright by the time Riku made it back to the Underworld. He'd had several things on the agenda that week and retrieving the river guardian's harpoon had only been a small task on a very long list. He couldn't imagine what Xemnas was up to, but at this point, he didn't care. All he wanted was to curl up on his animal fur bed in the darkness of his room and sleep for hours. But not yet. He still had to deliver the stuff to the man himself. Riku could only hope that Xemnas' lackeys, Pain and Panic, weren't there, they always made more trouble for him. And that they hadn't been following him during his encounter with the little Hero he'd met. That would end in disaster.

     It was dark underground, but Riku didn't mind. He'd stopped enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin so many years ago. This place was comfortable now. The cold of the high rock caves, the soft glowing of the rivers, even the three headed hellhound, Cerberus, were all familiar to him. There was only one place he still hated. Xemnas' throne room and study. His quarters were built into the ceiling above the center point of the Underworld, were the rivers converged and spiraled down in a whirlpool of the dead. Very few people could get up there; mostly just gods, Riku, and a few of Xemnas' flying subordinates. Riku could still remember the first time he'd seen the place, one of his few memories from so long ago that was perfectly vivid.

~~~

_It had been dark for what could have been days, or months, maybe years, he wasn't sure. The heavy fog would attack him at perfectly timed intervals and he could feel himself growing delirious with pain in between the moments when he could actually think. His body must have been growing accustomed to the abuse because he was beginning to sense when the next onslaught would be. That was the worst part, worse than the pain, the waiting for it. When it would draw closer, he could feel his muscles tighten up, his frayed nerves would tense, and his heart would go into overdrive. He couldn't move or breathe or do anything but panic and wait for the fog to return._

_It was during one of these moments that he heard them. It sounded like arguing. Two men arguing, he thought. Yes, that was right, and one of them sounded like Lord Xemnas. The other he didn't recognize, but anyone who would dare talk to Xemnas like that had to be another god, and if they were anything as cruel as the first, he wanted nothing to do with them. Their voices were getting clearer, but it didn't matter because the fog grew closer. He could feel it, waiting in the shadows for the right time to strike._

_"-gone too far this time, Xemnas! Tell me who he is!"_

_"He's a rotten little, dirty blooded nobody. Since when do you care about the well-being of demons, Cloud?"_

_"He's not a-"_

_Well at least they could provide some distraction to the rising swell of panic in his chest. He must have been losing his mind because he could swear the darkness was laughing at him, mocking his cowardice._

_"-ould have left him alone!"_

_"I'm going to make him great! He'll be stronger and faster and more powerful than he could have ever imagined in the human world!"_

_"He would have rather died a mortal with his family, and you know it!"_

_Riku tried to groan. He tried to force himself to move, to get up and run. Every molecule in his body screamed for him to escape before it happened again. In the dark something underneath his body started to glow, and he clenched his eyes shut. Hot tears burned streaks down the sides of his face and he started to mumble, too tired to properly beg for his life. Gods above he was tired, he would trade his life for a moment to rest._

_"Cloud, stop! He still has three days left, if you do this you'll ruin-!"_

_It was different this time. The pain didn't settle over his whole body at once like it usually did, no, this time it started with his left wrist. And it wasn't silent, either. This time there was a crack that accompanied his screams, like metal smashing through rock. Then it moved on to his right wrist, and felt like someone had snapped the bone. It continued in turn with both his legs and by the time that was over, the darkness was starting to clear from his vision._

_Bright white light nearly blinded him when he tried to open his eyes and he groaned. It was a few seconds before he tried again, squinting at the stone ceiling above him. That was the first thing he saw. The second was the man with an incredible sword standing over him. He had blond spiky hair and deep blue eyes that burned with anger. His sword reached the height of his shoulders and was as wide as his forearm, the tip of it shattering a chain that wrapped around Riku's ankle. One on each ankle, he noticed, as well as his wrists, all broken. The worst part though, was his light. His skin shimmered with an otherworldly glow, a golden aura, that enveloped him. It forced Riku to look away from the intensity of it, but he could still feel the heat burning him._

_He must have been a mess, curled up on the cold floor in front of this magnificent avenging angel, with his hair in tangles, tears streaking his face, and his nose dripping. This was probably the end, this god had found out that Xemnas had brought him here and now stood poised to kill him like Xemnas should have done already. In a way, it was comforting. Death would make it all stop._

_"Shhh, shhh. It's okay." The man's voice was gentler than he'd been expecting, and when something soft and warm enveloped him, he realized for the first time that it had been so cold before because he was laying on the stone floor in his undergarments. The god crouched down and draped his robe over Riku's shoulders, then reached out to touch his temple. Riku flinched and whimpered when the man's fingertips scorched his skin._

_"Sorry, sorry." The god apologized and this glowing light receded, leaving him looking human. This time when he touched him again to brush away the tears from his cheeks, Riku allowed it. "My name's Cloud. It's okay, it's over now."_

~~~

     "Riku." The command brought Riku back to the present, and he looked up to see Xemnas standing on the balcony to his throne room. He flashed Riku an impatient look and turned to go back inside. Taking his cue to hurry, Riku followed him up, disappearing from his spot by the river in a cloud of smoke and reappearing at Xemnas' door. He took a deep breath to steady himself before pushing it open. He avoided this room whenever he could; it still made his heart clench when he saw spot in the center where he'd been chained to the floor.

     Xemnas' throne sat near the back of the room, but he was nowhere to be seen. Riku passed by it and headed for the door on the back wall to the god's study. He made sure not to look at the floor, he knew they'd still be there; the marks from where Cloud's buster sword had pierced the floor when he'd released him.

     The God of Death stood at his desk, reading over a very old book in front of him. He didn't even look up when Riku entered. "You got what I asked?"

     Riku nodded and slipped his hood off his head. He reached for the pouch tied at his belt and dropped it on the table with a thud, then held out his left wrist. He ran his palm across the length of his forearm and a small tattoo began to glow, appearing from what had been nothing. It was shaped like a long spear with a barbed head, the same as the one he had taken from Nessus earlier that day. The tattoo shimmered and suddenly Riku held that same spear in his hand, the tattoo once again missing. He dumped it on the table next to the pouch without ceremony. "Anything else?"

     Xemnas glanced up only briefly at the weapon. "Any trouble getting it?"

     The boy shrugged. "A few scrapes need taking care of."

     The dark god nodded and gestured for Riku to come over. The servant complied and unfastened his cloak. He still had the bandaged obtained from Sora, but now there was also an ugly purple bruise that covered the length of his side as well. Xemnas placed a hand to the boy's ribs and muttered a simple 'curaga'. A glow rose under the god's hand and warmth spread through Riku's torso. When he removed it and pulled the bandages free, any sign of the injuries were gone. Riku tapped the side of his head with a finger and Xemnas repeated the process there as well.

     "That all?" Riku nodded and muttered his thanks as he pulled his cloak back on. "Good. I have something else for you then."

     Riku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his tired eyes slipping closed. "What is it now? How do you possibly have this much going on at the same time?"

     Xemnas chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll have a little time to rest. For now, continue with your normal routine, but I want you to keep your eyes to the North. There's a Manticore that has been roaming through Larissa and heading south. He might show himself again in Delphi, or possibly Thebes. I want him. Get him for me before he tries crossing the Gulf of Corinth." The man tore a page from the book his eyes were on and held it out to Riku. It had an artists' depiction of the creature along with a description and a list of strengths and weaknesses.

     Riku snatched the paper from his master's hand and studied the creature with worried eyes. "What do you mean 'you want him'? I can kill him for you. That would be a lot easier than-"

     "No." Xemnas interrupted, looking up with a glare. "I didn't ask what you thought would be easiest. I want him alive. I want you to subdue him without killing him and drag him back here over your shoulder if you have to. Understood?"

     Riku lowered his eyes. He didn't dare ask his next question which had been what he was planning on doing with the Manticore. Instead he folded up the paper and tucked it away into a pocket of his chiton. "Yessir."

     "Good. You're excused."

     He didn't need to be told twice.


	4. Chapter 4

     It had been two weeks since they had arrived in Thebes. Two weeks and all Sora had accomplished was making himself sore, tired, and irritable. Lessons with Kairi were the only part of his day that he really looked forward to. Everyone else he was realizing wasn't as nice as he'd once hoped they'd be. During the day when he wasn't training with either her or Phil, he scoured the city looking for something to do, someone who might need a Hero. But the people were cynical and cross, most of them telling him that they had plenty of problems, but that he wasn't experienced enough in Heroism to fix any of them. But how on Earth was he supposed to gain experience if no one would give him a chance? It was an endless, vicious cycle.

     Lessons with Kairi were better, though. She had started out by explaining to him how a simple human like herself was able to do magic. According to her, everyone is born with a small amount of light magic in their hearts already. Some exceptional humans had just a little bit extra, enough to be able to heal like the gods could, even if it was only a shadow of that ability. All gods, no matter who they were, were born with so much light magic that it could be outwardly seen, supposedly causing their skin to glow. Only creatures like demons were born without it.

     He sat with her now, listening to her explanation while sitting on the rug of her living room in her little home. She lived only a street away from the shop he was staying at, which meant that he got to see her often. It was much preferred to listening to Phil go on and on, especially after having spent the last year in solitude with the man. But despite her incredible teaching skills, and superior healing ability, he was still no closer to being able to summon a weapon from his heart like the gods could.

     "Don't worry, Sora. This kind of thing takes time. You think there's anyone out there who became a master after the first try?" Kairi smiled and rested her hand on his knee comfortingly. He leaned back on the palms of his hands and groaned at the ceiling.

     "I know, Kairi, but how am I supposed to get better, or prove to everyone what I can do, if there's nothing for me to practice with!" He leaned back forward again and rubbed at the side of his temple. "You said that I'd probably end up summoning a keyblade when I needed it most, but so far, the most dangerous thing I've done was rescue you neighbor's cat from a tree.  I'll never become a True Hero like that!"

     Kairi closed the book in her lap and set it to the side. "Hey, why don't we go see Hayner again? He's always up to date on the newest gossip in town. Maybe he'll have something for us to work with. What do you think?"

     Sora shrugged and started to get to his feet. "Yeah, I guess that would be fine. Better than nothing." The worst part in all of this, though he'd never admit it, was that he hadn't seen so much as a spec of silver or green since that day at the river. Riku had given him is name and he'd hopped that had meant he'd agreed to Sora's terms. But maybe he was just a con-man through and through. Why would he care about coming back to talk to Sora when he'd already gotten what he wanted? He'd been naive to think he could bribe a powerful hit-man into sitting down with him for tea.

     Walking with Kairi was always nice because, unlike Phil, she didn't talk his ear off when he was lost in thought like this. Being with her was relaxed, easy. He supposed this was what having a friend was like. Not that he didn't love Phil, the man had been a great friend and an amazing tutor. But it was different than what he felt like with Kairi. They had something to discuss other than fighting techniques.

     Hayner was a good guy too. So were Pence and Olette, Kairi's other two friends. They welcomed him into their homes and their lives, but he felt like they sometimes kept him at an arm's length. He supposed he couldn't blame them, really. He showed up out of nowhere, armed and traveling with a well know Hero Trainer, they had every right to be nervous. Hayner was especially cautious of the three, like he'd taken it upon himself to keep the rest of his friends safe. That was at least something that Sora could understand.

     The place Hayner worked at was an armory in the center of town. Because it was such a high traffic area, and because no one thought of censoring their words around a lowly shop hand, Hayner had a smorgasbord of gossip from all over the country. So far though, he hadn't been able to offer up any information that might be helpful to someone like Sora. Any kind of monster or tragedy was too big for him, too far away, already under control, or some combination of the three. And here Phil had thought that coming to Thebes would provide _more_ opportunity for him. What a joke.

     A little bell rang when they entered the building. To Sora, the place reminded him of Cid's blacksmith, only all of the weapons were already finished. It was nice to have something remind him of his old home once in a while. Hayner appeared around a curtain a moment later from the back room and smiled when he saw the two. "Kairi, Sora, what brings you two here. You guys want to check out some of the new stuff? We just got a new shipment in all the way from Cyprus."

     Kairi shook her head. "Thanks Hayner, not today. We were actually wondering if you'd heard of anything lately."

     Hayner shushed then and glanced towards the back of the shop, at the doorway he'd just exited. "Listen, if my boss finds out that I'm eavesdropping on customers and then handing out information to you guys, my shot at an apprenticeship is as good as gone, you know."

     Sora lowered his voice to match Hayner's and leaned his elbows against the counter. "Sorry, Hayner, we aren't trying to get you in trouble. It's just been difficult trying to find work around here ya know?"

     The boy sighed and brushed his hand through short blond hair. "Okay, listen, there may have been rumors of something creepy and menacing wandering around out by the bluffs on the North side of town. But I don't think you should go out there. No one knows what it is, alright. All I can tell you is that only shows up at night and harasses a bunch of travelers. Some of the people that meet it are even getting sick."

     That was all Sora needed to hear. He was practically about to race out of the armory but Hayner's voice held him to the ground.

     "Sora, wait!" The boy leveled him with an almost icy glare. "You had better be careful out there. If you don't come back and you break Kairi and Olette's hearts, you'll have to answer to me in the next life, ya hear?"

     Sora flashed him his signature grin. "It's a promise then?"

     "...Yeah. A promise."

~~~

     Stick to his routine for now, Xemnas had said. That's exactly what he'd done for the last two weeks, and still there had been no sighting of the Manticore. Riku could feel the worry beginning to eat at him. He had no idea how to tame a monster like that. It would have been easiest just to kill it, then he wouldn't have even had to get close. A bow and arrow and a ten second sighting and he'd be history. But to keep it alive? He'd gone through all the reasonable possibilities and nothing struck him. He could try and drug the thing, but without knowing the proper dosage that could either have no effect at all, kill it, or just piss it off. He could try a binding spell, but if it the beast was exceptionally strong and it took too much effort to hold the binding spell, he wouldn't be able to keep it still and open a portal to the Underworld at the same time.

     And then there was the matter of the people. Xemnas might not care if they died getting caught in the crossfire, but the Fates were very particular about keeping the order of the world in balance. He'd been playing with fire so far, and even if it was at the god's orders, Xemnas would waste no time using him as a scapegoat if the three sisters got angry with his meddling. So he would have to try and hope that he could lure the Manticore away from town. After that, who knew. Maybe he could beat it unconscious and hope he didn't get maimed. The variables made his head spin and left his nerves in shambles.

     Xemnas himself was another concern. It was supposed to be moving South, and he was supposed to contain the situation before it reached the Gulf of Corinth. Xemnas was not a patient man, if he let it slip past him, or if he took too long to retrieve it, there would be hell to pay.

     Riku sighed checked his list again. There was nothing he could do to speed things up, much as he'd like to, so he may as well continue with the never ending list of jobs he had on a regular basis. They showed up on the palm of his hand, one at a time, a simple scrolling handwriting in black ink that appeared for only a moment, just long enough for Riku to read and then send away.

_**Collect the Shade that escaped from the river bank and bring me back his soul.** _

     Great. Could Xemnas have been any more vague? It didn't even mention where he could find the Shade, or given the slightest clue like which of the five rivers in the Underworld he'd escaped from. That would at least have provided a starting point.

     Shades were horrible creatures. In the Underworld, they were harmless lost souls that couldn't be ferried across the river to their final resting place because no one had ever buried their body in life. So they became bound to the river, hiding under the waters in wait and trying to climb aboard someone else's boat ride to death. But if one managed to escape back into the human world, they caused all kinds of trouble. First they would try to find their body, like if they did that they could bury it themselves, but when they couldn't, they'd start to go after the people in the nearest town. They would lure their victim into a cave by pretending to be a traveler or sometimes a child who was hurt, and when a human got close enough, the Shade would try and possess them and claim their body as their own. It never worked. A human body could only sustain the presence of another soul for a few hours at the most, before they started to change, and warp and become corrupted by the darkness. If the human was lucky enough to get away before that happened, just being touched by the Shade would leave its mark, and the poor sap would be seized by fever. They weren't a walk in the park to kill either if you couldn't use light magic, which he couldn't.

     After two hundred years, you'd think he'd be used to getting saddled with the icky jobs by now.

     He'd have to start from the bottom and work his way up. First thing was to go check out the rivers and see if anything looked visibly disturbed. Then he'd probably check around some of the major cities and see if there was anything floating around the rumor mill. That would be worse than confronting the monster itself. He hated going into town, and tried his best to avoid it if he could. Even though he did his best to keep his hair covered and not draw attention to himself, he still felt like people's eyes followed him everywhere. They probably did, considering how he dressed. How the city dwellers could stand being surrounded by so many people all the time and in such a small, crowded space, he'd never understand. Gathering in packs like that only made them more appealing targets to things like Shades anyway.

     Better start moving then, if he wanted to find the creature before it made an appearance at nightfall.

~~~

     Sora and Phil had circled the city three times now on Pegasus' back, but to no avail. Hayner had said the North side cliffs, but when they could find no physical evidence of a monster's inhabitants, Sora decided to look everywhere. Phil tried to slow him down, telling him that creatures of the darkness didn't really like the sunlight all that much, and that whatever they were looking for probably wouldn't show for a few hours, but the Hero was tired of playing the waiting game. Phil also mentioned repeatedly that he thought this was an absolutely terrible idea, and that they shouldn't engage anything until they knew what they were dealing with. But that would require some kind of surveillance and Sora wouldn't hear of that either. In his own words, the more time they wasted, the more people went missing or fell ill. So they circled. And circled again. And doubled back to circle again. They checked under every rock, every cliff, and every cave they could find but nothing had turned up. Finally, Phil suggested that they ask around town and see if anyone could give them a little more information to go off of.

     That was proving to be difficult, too. Sora wasn't sure where Kairi and Olette got their sunny dispositions from, because it certainly wasn't a product of their environment. People in the town of Thebes were cranky and cynical, not a single one of them believing that he could save them from anything. One particular incident happened close to the north gates. It was getting closer and closer to sunset and they hadn't found anything useful. Sora slumped against the curb of a fountain, tired and disheartened.

     "Phil, I don't know about this. Maybe everyone here is right. I mean, there have been so many Hero's in this town since... forever, and none of them have given these people hope. Why would I be any different?"

     The satyr rested his hand on Sora's knee and gave it a comforting pat. "Listen kid, just because you haven't caught a break yet, doesn't mean everything's going to stay this way. I've trained Heroes who waited years before they were taken seriously."

     Sora snorted, picking up a flat rock while his mentor spoke and turning it over in his hands. "You know Phil, oddly enough that doesn't make me feel any better."

     "Look, all I'm saying is that you've gotta learn a little bit patience. No need for you to get so worked up about all of this Hero stuff."

     "All of this 'Hero stuff' is my only way to get back home, Phil! I don't have years to wait like those other guys do, every day that goes by is just another day I've lost getting to know my real family." He pulled back his arm and skipped the rock across the water of the fountain in frustration. It sailed, flying across the water to the other side, right up until it crashed into the statue in the center and knocked the head off the stone depiction of Aphrodite. The Hero flinched at the sound of rock shattering and water splashed up onto the civilians on the other side.

     "Hey!" One of his victims from the blunder was particularly angry. He was tall, good looking, with typical blond hair and blue eyes, but most importantly he was storming up to Sora, completely soaked. "What do you think you're doing? You trying get run out of town? Huh, outsider?"

     Sora jumped to his feet and raised his hands up defensively. "Seifer right? Listen, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

     "No of course you didn't!" Seifer snarled. "You comes riding in here on your flying horse with your freakish strength and sword on your belt and you expect us all to kiss your damn feet, don't you?"

     Sora's face started to redden. "That's not true. I'm just here to help. I'm just trying to help all of you!"

     Seifer scoffed and gestured to the now ruined fountain. "Yeah a lot of good you've done so far. All hail the conquering Hero" The taller boy bent at the waist and mockingly flourished his hand before him. "Some Hero, you've never saved a single person in your life have you? We don't need your help here, why don't you just go home?"

     "I've been trying to! And you do need my help here. You've got people disappearing left and right or coming home on the brink of death and you have no idea why. If there was ever a town that needed a Hero, this is it!" Sora's heart pounded, and blood drummed in his ears. This was different from when Riku had said those things about him. When the demon had said it, it had come from a place of frustration with Sora and his inexperience. When everyone else said it, it was because they thought him an outsider. He couldn't earn their trust without being given an opportunity.

     "What, you think that you can take on that thing?" The blond boy shook his head. "Whatever it is, it'll tear you to shreds."

     "Guess you'll finally be rid of me if that happens, won't you?"

     Seifer was quiet, like the idea hadn't occurred to him until Sora said it. "You know what, your right. Go get yourself killed like the others, see if I care. That thing your chasing shows up at sundown in the caves just under the cliff. It doesn't like the light. Come back with its head on a pike, or don't come back at all."

     Tears were building up behind Sora's eyes, but he refused to let them come. Hero's didn't let a few people like Seifer get into their heads. They were stronger than anyone; physically and mentally sound. A few days of hardship was nothing. He whipped around and climbed up onto Pegasus' back, barely giving Phil enough time to climb up behind him before he was taking off and leaving Seifer in the dust. Distantly he heard Phil trying to soothe him, to tell him to calm down and think this through. But nothing was going to stop him, not if he had to wait all night for this stupid whatever it was to show.

     They landed exactly where their search had initially begun, only now all of Sora's enthusiasm had been drained. It was enough that he'd allowed himself to be goaded by Seifer, but he'd also wasted hours and hours searching in vain for something that only showed up in the dark. Great. Now he was tired, irritable, and he'd wasted most of his team's energy because he'd been impatient, only to end up back in the same spot he'd started.

     And, well, he was still impatient! It was dusk now; the sun had gone down enough that even the most sensitive of creatures would be able to manage. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know how to lure it out, didn't even know what it was, just that it spirited people away.

     Phil tugged on Sora's hand, trying to get his attention. "Come on Sor, let's start looking." Sora looked down at his mentor in surprise and Phil laughed at his dumbfound expression. "You didn't think we were giving up on you, did ya? Come on, let's show that Seifer punk what a real Hero is made of."

     Choking back his emotions, Sora reached down and scooped the satyr into a massive hug, lifting him off the ground and probably crushing him in the process. "Thanks Phil. I'm so sorry! I should have listened to you earlier." Phil could only wheeze in response, trying to wiggle out of the boys incredibly strong arms.

     They both went still when they heard her. Sora's grip loosened and he carefully set Phil back onto the ground. "Did you hear...?"

     "Yeah kid. I did."

     It came again, this time louder, but not by much. She had to be young, by the sound of her cries. Maybe only ten. It was the echoing that caught his attention, otherwise he might not have heard her pleading.

_"Help me! Someone! Please!"_

     "Phil let's go! We have to get to her before whatever's out there does!" Sora was taking off toward the high cliffs before he'd even finished his sentence, but Phil knew him well enough by now to know that Sora wouldn't wait around to chat while a child was in danger.

     "I'm right behind ya, Sora!" He was falling behind, but that was not the point. Way, way behind. It'd take a small miracle to keep up with Sora's neck-break speed, and his short and stubby legs weren't meant for chasing and sauntering through the woods like this. It was only a few seconds before Sora made it out of sight. "Kid? Kid!"

     Sora tore through the brush and the trees that surrounded them. It was almost fully dark now, and if the little girl wanted to even stand a chance, he had to get there before _it_ did. A clearing started to reveal itself in front of him, a large open space where the dirt ended and the rock began. He'd looked here earlier, thinking that if he were a monster, these caves were exactly where he'd hide. He now cursed himself for leaving so soon.

     Almost there. Just a little bit longer. Please, gods above, just let her make it a little bit longer.

     He felt the cold first. It was like stepping out of your warm home on the coldest day of the year and taking a large breath. Like ice had pierced his lungs and paralyzed them. It was the darkness next, swirling in a fog in front of him so close that he could feel the tendrils licking his skin. Then he stood there, cloaked in his usual dark robes, and held up his hand.

     Riku uttered something under his breath, a harsh language that Sora couldn't say he'd ever heard before, but somehow the word _shield_ still resonated with him. He didn't have time to stop before he crashed into it. An eerie opaque wall spread from Riku's fingertips and sparked with purple light when Sora was blown back. He bit his lip when he crashed into the rock and tasted the saltines of blood on his tongue.

     Sitting up, Sora spat at the ground, more dazed than he ever remembered being in his life. It passed soon enough, and when his vision cleared, Riku still stood there, as still as the stone around them. He didn't care at all when the little girl screamed and her sobbing started to grow faint. What kind of monster could just stand there, frozen and impassive as ice, after listening to that?

     The Hero growled, rage building up in his chest and bubbling over when he charged the demon boy. Riku dodged Sora's initial attack, ducking under the boys fist with lightning speed. But Sora didn't hold back this time, fear and adrenaline coursing through him so strong that the second time, Riku wasn't so lucky. Much like Sora had seconds ago, Riku crashed backwards and collided with a grunt into the rocks. His hood fell from his head and silver tumbled around his face when he looked up. Sora was running again, his back turned, so he didn't see tempest in Riku's eyes, but he heard the crack.

_"Break."_

     Again, the brunet didn't know how he understood, but before he could make sense of what was happening, the Earth split in front of him. A rent in the stony ground opened up at his feet and he tripped over himself to avoid falling in while the floor pulled apart. Sora gasped for breath, leaning over the edge of what could have just been a very long fall with astonished eyes. No magic he'd ever encountered could compare to what his eyes were telling him now.

     A cry of resentment tore Sora's throat, and he spun back around to face Riku, his voice nearly breaking when he spoke. "Stop it! What are you doing?! I have to go in there!"

     Riku was still crouched on one knee, both hands palms down to the ground. A glowing power swirled under them, a contrast to his statue-like composure and the only evidence that he'd been the one to impede Sora's mission in the first place.

     "Hero, stop." Sora hadn't expected him to sound so calm. He'd hoped that he'd laugh or mock him, or sneer, something. Anything to give him a reason to want to fight this man. "You don't know what you're doing."

     "I'm trying to do my job, you miserable little-!"

     Sora wheezed out a breath when he was knocked down. Riku had deemed it was a fitting time to interrupt Sora's rampage, and now the boy lay struggling to breathe under the weight of the enormous silver paw on his chest. His vision swam but he could feel the tips of the claws threatening his skin. The foot spread over Sora's entire chest, almost covering the span of his shoulders. But oddly enough, it was though Riku was holding back from doing any actual damage. He was held firm, that was certain, but he made no other move.

     Sora hadn't seen him change the first time they met. He hadn't realized the hellhound he'd met could even take two forms until Riku had emerged from the water. This time was different. Riku had barely shifted and something in his demeanor changed. An ominous glow surrounded him and changed shape, growing and shifting into the wolf that held him pinned now. It had taken less than a second. In the time Sora had blinked, it was over.

     _**Listen to me, Hero.**_ Even though Sora knew he could throw this demon off of him with one hand, those huge green eyes held him in place. _**I'm going to let you go, and you are not going to enter the cave.**_

     "You can't stop me." Sora breathed.

     _**Oh, I absolutely can. But I'm not going to, and do you want to know why?**_

     Having the voice speak directly to his mind was something Sora wasn't sure he liked. It felt very invasive, like Riku had forced his way into his thoughts. But he indulged the man, if only to get this over with faster. "Why? What kind of person sits back and waits while a little girl is in there alone and scared and-"

     _**There is no little girl, you imbecile! Do you even know what you're going after? Do you have any idea the kind of danger you were about to put yourself in? No, of course not! What a waste of gravity you are, can't even smell a trap from directly under your nose.**_

     "T-trap?" Sora tried his best to look behind him at the bluffs. Riku may or may not have been telling the truth, but he couldn't deny that it had grown awfully quiet in the last moment. "Let me up." He didn't wait for the hellhound to comply before he heaved the large paw off his chest himself and pushed Riku over to the ground. The silver fur was velvety soft under his fingers, but Sora didn't have the time to marvel and he figured Riku wouldn't appreciate it anyway if their last encounter was anything to judge by.

     He dusted himself off and Riku did the same, pulling himself off the ground and shaking the dirt from his pelt. A blink of an eye later and the man was standing on two feet again, his body shifting back to his human form.

     Sora must have been staring. In fact, he was pretty sure his mouth hung open as well. Riku scoffed at him and looked away, taking on an air of what Sora could only assume was self-consciousness to his stoic form. "It is impolite in Fae Folk society to stare and gape with your jaw on the floor while a stranger is changing. You'd better learn quick, because some gods would gouge out your eyeballs for that."

     The Hero's teeth clacked together with how fast he closed his mouth, turning his gaze downward. "What did you mean about this being a trap? I heard her. I know she's in there."

     The hellhound shook his head solemnly. "You don't know anything. The only little girl in there is long dead. She's just a shadow being used to lure you in so you can meet the same fate."

     Sora sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can't you talk like a normal person? Shadows, traps, Fae; why don't you just tell me exactly what's going on?" He realized that his voice was probably rising, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He'd looked all day for some kind of clue that would help him figure out what was plaguing the cliff side, but had come up short. Now Riku pops up out of nowhere after he hadn't been seen in two weeks and tells him he's got it all wrong. What a mess it all was.

     To make things worse, Riku had shifted just a little and now instead of being a few arms lengths away, he was right in front of Sora's nose, holding a black dagger to the Hero's throat. The blade was freezing, and it bit his skin like frostbite. Where had he pulled it from, anyway? Riku didn't carry any weapons on him, unless he had hidden pockets under that cloak.

     "Understand this, Hero; you're going to walk away. The creature in there is too much for you to handle by yourself, and besides that, he belongs to me. His soul is mine and I won't allow you to get in the way like you did last time. So go find your nanny goat and let me do my job, hm?"

     Riku pressed the edge into Sora's skin as he spoke, making Sora tense. As if Riku knew Phil was coming, the satyr burst through the bushes the second he was mentioned, gasping and wheezing for air. The brunet's blue gaze shifted back and forth between his mentor and his assailant. There was no way he was backing out of the fight, he just had to figure out a way to get Riku on board. It struck him though, that this wasn't the first time, or even the second, that Riku had threatened to use force but hadn't come through. Sora couldn't understand why, he'd probably seen more death in his lifetime than anyone could ever dream.

     "Kill me then." The words came before Sora could second guess himself, and Phil gaped from the sidelines.

     "Kid! Sora, get out of there!" He was ignored.

     "Kill me." Sora repeated. "That's what you do, isn't it? You slaughter people at the wishes of your master. Why should I be any different? That's the only way you're going to stop me, so just do it."

     Riku stood stock still, and for a second Sora thought he may have overestimated. But then the demon lowered his hand and a purple tattoo on his finger appeared, started glowing, and then disappeared along with the knife. Sora released a breath of relief. It was short lived because when he looked up again, Riku's hand was raised high. He didn't have time to duck before the silverette brought it down and cracked his palm against Sora's cheek. It echoed off the rocks, but everything else was silent.

     The boy went sprawling to the ground, for what felt like the millionth time today. When he looked up, Riku still loomed over him. "Don't you ever assume you know what my motives are again. You don't know the first thing about me." He turned his back on Sora and started to stalk towards the bluffs. "Get up. I'm not babysitting you like last time."

     Phil hurried over to Sora as fast as his little legs would carry him. "Sora! You alright?" The boy nodded mutely, stunned into silence. He allowed the trainer to help him back to his feet.

     "I'm okay, Phil. Really. I don't think he's so bad, just a little grumpy." Sora tried to laugh, rubbing the sting out of his cheek. Phil only frowned. "Don't worry. I'll be okay. I'm going to go in with him, you stay here."

     The look on Phil's face was evident enough that he wasn't a fan of the idea, but he didn't try to stop him when Sora trotted off after Riku. Sora met back up with him at the mouth of the cavern, where he was either waiting or planning his attack. "Okay, so first thing's first. What exactly is in there?"

     Riku had half a mind to let the boy figure it out himself, but he figured that would put them both in a lot of danger. "A Shade. I've been tracking him all day now. He escaped from the river Acheron a few weeks ago. I've just been preoccupied enough that he was lower on my list of things to take care of. The little girl you were hearing was a projection of what was probably his first victim. She's already gone."

     A Shade. That was in that book one of Dangerous Creatures and Their Weaknesses that Phil had him study. They were a low level entity, but caused enough trouble that it was difficult to put them down if you didn't know what you were doing. Sora found himself grateful now that Riku had stopped him. He could have easily ended up in the same boat as those travelers. "...Thank you."

     A quick glance out of the corner of Riku's eyes and a 'hm' were all the reply that Sora was given. "Come on. If you want to stay alive long enough to see the outside of this cave again, you better keep close."

     Sora nodded and that started their descend down into the cavern. The walls were high enough for them to walk side by side, but Riku still took the lead. Sora was content to follow behind. He was having a hard time finding his footing in the darkness, so it was easier to step exactly where Riku stepped. Still he stumbled around, the rocks he displaced echoing off the walls. He may not have been able to see, but at least it was dry.

     "How do you know where you're going?" the brunet asked.

     Riku didn't even look back as he spoke. "Spend a lot of time in the Underworld. I see just as well in the dark as in the light." Sora thought by his silence that that was all he was going to say, but after a second he continued. "You should be able to get around just fine, I'd think. You shine bright enough to light up the way for both of us."

     Distracted, Riku's words made Sora slip on the gravel. The older man sighed, stopping and waiting for Sora to dust himself off. "Shine?" Sora had no idea what he was talking about. "What's that supposed to mean?"

     Finally looking over his shoulder, Riku regarded him coolly. "You can't tell?"

     "Tell? Listen, I think everyone would notice if I was glowing. I was told only gods were able to do that, and I'm not a god yet."

     "The reason gods can shine is because they're filled with light magic. You have a lot of that yourself, being the son of two gods. Can't you put two and two together?

     Sora pondered this for a while, quiet except the noise he was making with the rocks. "You know a lot about the gods then?"

     "I've spent a lot of time with them."

     "But... you aren't one?" No answer. "You couldn't be, I guess. No other god would allow themselves to be enslaved." Again, Riku said nothing to this, but Sora saw his shoulders tense and decided that was probably a sore subject. "So what exactly are you?"

     "You're going to get yourself killed if you don't learn a little decorum. Most Fae Folk would be offended you couldn't already tell, a god would think you insolent for confusing them for anything else, and a demon would simply rip your head off for daring to ask." Riku snapped.

     "So... does that mean you aren't going to tell me?" The Hero's voice was small, feeling more scolded than any lesson with Phil he'd ever had.

     "...It means that I don't know." Riku admitted. "No more questions."

     Sora nodded and went quiet. He was trying to figure out how to pose his next question in a way that wouldn't involve actually asking anything, when he suddenly ran into a solid object, cloaked in a cool, soft material. It took him a moment to realize that Riku had stopped in front of him. He was about to speak up, but the older man held up his hand to silence him.

     "....So what's the plan?" Sora finally whispered.

     "Sh. I attack, you distract. And when this is over, I'm taking his soul home with me, you understand? Do whatever you want with the rest of him."

     "But what are you...?" Riku's vibrant eyes were still visible even when everything around them was black, and they glowed with irritation when Riku shot a look back at him. "...Okay. He's all yours."

     The man grunted his agreement and rushed forward, leaving the Hero alone. Now he was well and truly lost. He couldn't see anything around him, and he wasn't one hundred percent sure he could get back outside without Riku's guidance. Plus, nothing was happening. He thought for a moment that the other had been mistaken, and that they weren't there yet, because he heard nothing. Finally, he dared to speak up. "Riku?"

     A horrendous screech shook the walls and Sora clamped his hands over his ears.

     "Now, Hero!" Riku called from below.

     "Ah... Okay! Um... um." He spun around, searching the walls frantically with his hands from something, anything that would help them. Riku hadn't exactly been very specific with his instructions, you know! His fingertips finally brushed something smooth and round. Okay, so he could probably throw a great big rock at the thing, and pray to the gods that it didn't hit Riku instead. That would end in his death, of that he was sure.

     The boulder was as tall as his knees, but to the Hero it weighed nothing. He picked it up and heaved it onto his shoulders, taking a deep breath. Phil had once given him a lesson on how to sense your enemies in the dark, but blast it if he could remember right now! He didn't have time to sit and ponder, Riku would soon lose his patience with him. He could hear the grunting of a fight going on ahead, so he closed his eyes and took a shot in the dark. Literally.

     Sora launched the stone over his head like it weighed no more than an apple. _Please don't hit Riku, please don't hit Riku, please don't-_ Debris flew when boulder missed its mark and shattered against the wall. Sora could only hope that the monster had at least been nicked by a shard or two. He knew it got the job done anyway, because there was another one of the Shade's awful screams and then he could hear footsteps approaching. Riku shouted for him to run, sounding more annoyed than concerned and the Hero took the words to heart.

     Going up was a lot harder than going down, he realized, and he wished that Riku had suggested their roles be reversed. He'd gladly have made the first strike if it would have saved him the terror of this monster nipping at his heals. Above him, the cave opened up and he had never been more relieved to see the sky.

     The boy tumbled out of the cave with all the grace of a newborn, spotting Phil by the tree line waving his arms over his head. Sora grinned at him, but it was wiped away when the saw the mortified expression on the satyr's face.

     "Kid, turn around!"

     He spun just in time to see what had been chasing him emerge from the tunnel's mouth. He gasped and felt his heart skip a beat. There were not a lot of descriptions of what a Shade looked like. Most anyone who had ever seen one didn't survive to describe it. But he had been expecting the thing to look akin to a ghost. This was no ghost. It stood taller than anything that could be human, but it still kept the shape of a man. Its leathery skin was a dusky grey, and stuck so close to its body that it could have been only the skeleton. It had no hair and its eyes were hollow and dark. By all means, there was no reason this thing should have even been able to survive in that state, but here it was, and when he opened his mouth to scream at the sky, Sora noticed it was filled with rotting, sharpened fangs.

     It wasn't as quick as Riku, but it tore over to the pair in record speed for having such thin legs. Riku wasn't in sight, so Sora could only assume he'd been abandoned. He tore his sword from his belt, eyeing all of the monster's weak points and trying to decide where to strike first. The Shade didn't give him the luxury of a lot of time to decide before it swung it's bony, clawed hands at Sora's legs. He was barely able to dodge, swinging his sword and striking the limb away.

     "Sora, don't let it touch you!" Phil's advice was moot at that point, because there was no way Sora was letting that thing get anywhere near him. He ducked and rolled when it struck again. This time it was close enough to carve a hole into the ground where Sora had once been kneeling. What a perfect moment for his so-called partner to vanish. Fine, if he had to take care of this himself, that's what he'd do.

    The Hero cried when he attacked, striking the beast in the side with all the strength in his sword. The Shade crumpled into a ball where it struck the ground, it's ribs visibly broken and sticking out at awkward angles. Everything was still, and for half a second Sora thought that it might be dead already. But that hope was short lived when it got to its feet again. There was a sickening crack and pop, and Sora noticed that the misplaced bones started to shift back into place under it's leather skin.

     Resisting the urge to hurl his lunch, Sora turned back to his mentor. "Phil! How do you kill this thing!"

     If there was an answer, it was lost when the Shade roared. For several minutes, Sora was locked in a repeating cycle. Swing, dodge, attack, regenerate. Swing, dodge, attack- There was no end! No matter where Sora focused his blow, the monster continued to get back up and pop it's shattered body back into place.

     He wasn't tired yet, but he knew this couldn't last all night. He was steadily realizing that this plan was not going to work, when his name was called. Dodging another nearly fatal strike, Sora spared only a second to glance over his shoulder.

     Riku was no longer wearing his cloak, and his shirt of his chiton left his arms and shoulders bare. He gestured towards the opening of the clearing. "Force him into the center!"

     "I thought you'd left me!" Sora called back.

     "I told you you'd be the distraction! What did you think I meant?! Do what I said!"

     The man was demanding as ever, but Sora had no other idea's, so he may as well give one of Riku's a shot. Striking, and dodging, Sora coaxed the Shade into following him, then made a break for the center. Taking the bait, the creature followed, but now that they were there, he had no idea what to do with it. The boy looked to Riku for his next instruction while the Shade started to loom over him. Riku, held both palms out, similar to what he had done earlier. Maybe he was planning to drop it into another big hole, Sora thought. That would at least make it easier to handle. But when a dark energy started to swirl into a ball around Riku's fingers, he knew that wouldn't be the case.

     Various tattoo's up Riku's arms and shoulders began to glow, creating and intricate geometric design on his pale skin, and Sora noticed that there was a strange shape under his own feet that did the same thing. He and the Shade were both standing on top of the rune, Sora realized, shaped exactly like the one branded into Riku's chest. Was he going to take Sora out along with the beast? Riku moved one of his hands and aimed it at Sora.

     _"Firaga."_

     That couldn't be good. Like the first time, Sora recognized the word as meaning 'fire'. What he wasn't expecting though was the black and blue ball of energy that burst from Riku's hand. It soared, straight and true, slamming directly into Sora's chest and blasting him back. He struck the ground and stayed there, on barely hanging on to consciousness. Meanwhile, while Sora was lying in a puddle of his own drool, the rune under the Shade flared up.

     _"Bind!"_ Riku's shouting was what pulled Sora from his stupor, and he rolled over onto his stomach with just enough time to see the dark tendrils rise up from the earth and wrap around the monster. It shrieked and writhed, pulling in vain at the sticky black ropes that held it in place.

     "Hero! It's your turn!" The man called to him, and Sora staggered uncertainly to his feet. He tested his balance and when he felt like he probably wouldn't collapse, he fetched his sword from where it'd landed. The beast threw himself at the ground, clawing at its face and Riku flinched.

     "W-what do you want me to do!" Sora finally shouted back. "Using my sword doesn't work!"

     Riku's growl sounded nearly beast-like. "You have to use light magic, you stupid little-" He was cut off and he grit his teeth when the Shade cried again. "Do it now! It'll take a lot longer to kill it by myself without that!"

     "But I don't know how! I haven't gotten that far in my training and-!"

     "Are you Cloud's son, or aren't you?!"

     Sora swallowed. He was. He could do this. Not knowing what else to do, the Hero raised his sword, gripping it with both hands and pointing its blade at the Shade.

     "Good." Riku urged. "You have to call it from your heart. Don't worry about not knowing any spells!"

     Weird, it almost sounded like Riku was trying to be helpful. But Sora knew that couldn't be right. Still, he did his best to follow his wolfy friend's advice. It started in his chest, a warm sensation. He felt it surge up his arms and into his hands. Knowing nothing else, Sora threw the energy forward.

     A pillar of light burst from the tip of his blade and punctured through the Shade's chest. It threw its head back, like it was trying one last time to shriek, but nothing came. Its mouth opened, then its body went still, and when the light disappeared it crumpled into a heap of limbs and bones.

     Oddly enough, Riku seemed shaken by the magic as well, evident by the way he fell to his hands and knees. He clutched at the rune on his chest in pain, all of the other markings fading from existence. Sora approached the monster tentatively, once all magic had disappeared and it looked truly dead. He suddenly burst into a fit a laughter and cheered. "Phil! Did you see that! I did it!"

     "Yeah, yeah. That's great, Sor." Phil smiled tentatively, but then quickly gestured to Riku. "Look."

     Sora followed his finger and gasped. "Riku!" The Hero hurried over, careful to skirt around the edge of the Shade so he didn't touch it, and slowed when he neared Riku's side. "Are you okay?? Here, let me help you-"

     _"Shield."_

     This time Sora was able to jump out of the way before he crashed into the wall. Behind his protective barrier, Riku seemed to be pulling himself back together. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

     The man shook his head, as started to pull himself to his feet. "I'm fine, just keep your distance. My magic and yours aren't meant to intertwine like that."

     "I hurt you?" He looked back at their fallen opponent and it started to click together. "Because you were connected to him... You don't like the light much, then?"

     "No." Was Riku's only reply and he let the barrier drop. Stalking away, Riku walked over to the Shade to inspect it. Sora had done a decent amount of damage, striking the creature straight through the heart. An attack that unorganized wouldn't have hurt Riku much, but it still stung like hell. Without warning, he plunged his hand into the Shade's chest and ripped out a small glowing orb.

     Sora averted his gaze and turned back to Phil. He had no desire to know exactly what Riku was doing. Phil bounded over to him and pulled the Hero down by the collar. With no explanation, he started to turn Sora's head every which way, check his arms, and his sides. Sora laughed and tried to bat the satyr away. "Phil, what are you doing?"

     "Are you hurt?" His mentor's voice was stern.

     "No, I'm fine. I feel great actually." Seeing the look of dissatisfaction on Phil's face, he added "Why, were you worried about me?"

     "Riku attacked you directly. A blast like that could have killed you. I don't know why he'd hold back like that, it'd would take more effort to restrain himself than not to."

     "I told you he wasn't so bad." Sora crossed his arms over his chest. "You gotta trust me once in a while." He didn't wait for Phil to argue with him again, because Riku had finished collecting his prize and had returned to Sora's side. Sora grinned up at him and held up his hand for a high five. "Hey, we make a great team!"

     "Do not touch me." Riku responded coolly.

     "Okay, cool, that's fine too." Sora hurriedly lowered his hand. "You don't like to be touched, got it. So did you get what you needed?"

     The silverette nodded and began to walk away. "Do whatever you want with the rest of it. It can't hurt you now that it's dead."

     "Great! We can take it back with us to show the others and- Hey are you leaving?"

     Riku looked back at him. "I am."

     "Oh..." Sora didn't bother to hide his disappointment. "Alright. I guess I'll see you next time, then!"

     Riku sighed and collected his cloak from where he'd dropped it. "Trust me, Hero, you're better off if there isn't a next time. There are better people for you to spend your time with than me." And with those self-deprecating words, the man was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

     Normally, it wouldn't take long for Riku to return home. Only a couple of seconds really, and then he could rest. But tonight he was in no rush to send the Shade's spirit back to the Underworld. His thoughts were preoccupied with images of ocean blue eyes and chocolate hair. What an idiot that Hero was. Was he really under the delusion that they could be friends? Riku wasn't allowed to have things like that. In the beginning, when he'd just been turned into the immortal _thing_ he was now, he'd thought he could still try. You didn't live as long as he had and not allow yourself to grow attached to even one person. But he soon learned how much worse that made his predicament. They would grow old or ill and die after such a short amount of time. It wasn't worth the heartache.

     And Sora would have two options in his life, with the path that he had chosen. On the first hand, being a Hero would get him killed, and Xemnas would send him to fetch the boy's soul and drag him down to the Underworld in person, as he liked to do with Hero's. On the other, Sora might actually make it back to Olympus to be a god, and there he would learn what a miserable, pathetic person Riku really was from all of the others. That might be worse, actually, to have Sora turn on him when he joined the ranks of his family. The allure would disappear and Sora would be left with the filthy, half-bred mutt. A dirty stray amongst gods, and even Cloud's compassion wouldn't be enough to change that. No, he'd learned long ago what a mistake like that would cost.

     He took the long way home, alone with his thoughts. Xemnas wouldn't be expecting him back until sunrise anyway. Had Sora not been there, or had he not been able to use his light magic yet, Riku would have had to hold the binding spell until morning. He could just picture Roxas delaying the sunrise, holding off just spite him while he laughed from his chariot in the sky. It would have been a long and exhausting night. With his extra time in mind, he made his way back to the Underworld. There was at least one person who was always excited to see him, and he lived right past next to the rivers, guarding the gates.

     "Cerberus?" Riku called, transporting to the bank. For a second, he thought the hellhound might be asleep. The large form was hunkered down low to the ground, his three heads each resting on a different rock. Cerberus was absolutely enormous, nearly the size of a small house. Riku was large in his hellhound form, but he could never hope to compare to that. The first time he had met Cerberus, he'd nearly been eaten. Xemnas had introduced them, and had been the only thing standing in the demon's way. The god had said that the dog only attacked those who tried to break into the Underworld while they were alive, and that Riku still smelled like a human. After the first month of being shrouded in darkness, that had vanished. The next time he'd seen the beast, he'd been welcomed in like one of the pack.

     The second his name was called, all three pairs of eyes opened, and the beast leaped up in eagerness. Its tail thumped against the wall of the cave, loud enough that one would think it'd bring the roof caving down. Riku laughed when he was knocked down by three large noses nuzzling his chest and sniffing his clothes for treats. "Hey, hey, stop that! I don't have anything for you tonight, so back off!" He had to push one of the huge faces away with both hands to get them off of him.

     "I missed you guys too." Riku affectionately stroked the right one's muzzle. He sighed when the dog laid down in front of him, all of their heads forming a protective barrier. He was easily more respected by them as a master than even Xemnas was. Once the dark god had realized that, Riku was given full responsibility of the animal. The man leaned against the center one's soft neck and closed his eyes. "Been as long a week for you guys as it has been for me?"

     The question was met with a snuffing noise of agreement, and Riku chuckled. "Yeah? Thought so." One large paw came up and draped over Riku's legs, like Cerberus thought he could be both a pillow and a blanket. Riku didn't mind at all. "Hey, maybe someday all of these crazy missions will finally end and we can both get some rest, huh?"

     Cerberus grunted and one eye swiveled back to give Riku a hard stare. He laughed. "Yeah, yeah." Yawning, he snuggled down into the soft black fur. "It's nice to hope though, sometimes."

~~~

     By morning, Riku was still dead asleep and Cerberus was having no luck waking him. When at first a gentle nudge didn't work, he then tried whining to get the man's attention, but that only caused Riku to groan and bury his face in the beast's neck. Left with no other option, Cerberus lifted his left head and roared in the man's face.

     Riku bolted up in his sleep with a gasp, eyes flying wide. He looked around him, trying to figure out where he was. This was definitely not his bedroom. The hound whined at him again and he frowned. "Alright, alright, I'm getting up." The neck that he was leaning on bumped him, trying to coax him to his feet. Riku huffed.

     "Yeah, you're right, I'm going to be late. Look you see? I'm leaving." He got up and dusted himself off, sticking his tongue out at the dog. Cerberus flashed all of his teeth, like the three heads were grinning at him. Riku snorted. There were right to wake him up, however. Xemnas would not be happy if he was late this morning without a good reason. Fighting a Manticore would be a good reason; getting the first decent nights rest he'd had in weeks would not.

     So he left the hellhound to his own devices and made his way to Xemnas' quarters. In the darkness of the Underworld, it was difficult to tell what time of day it actually was, Riku guessed it was probably sunrise, right when Xemnas would be expecting him. He met the god in his drawing room. Unlike the last time he'd been here, there was now a table sitting in the middle with odd little knickknacks scattered on top of it. The table almost looked like a map and the figurines on top of it vaguely resembled a few people and creatures he knew of. One was definitely Cloud, anyway, and he thought there might have been a few other gods too. He opened his mouth to ask but Xemnas looked up and cut him off.

     "Good, you made it back in one piece. Did you get it?"

     Riku clamped his mouth shut. Funny, he didn't usually pretend to care about whether Riku made it home uninjured or not. He must have been planning something important if he needed Riku's help that badly. "Yes, I got it." He reached for the little leather skin pouch that hung at his waist and fished the glowing orb out. It was only about the size of a plum, and when Xemnas snatched it from Riku's hand, it brightened at the god's touch.

     He held it up to look at it in better light. Turning it over in his fingers, Xemnas' silver brows furrowed. "What did you do to it?"

     "Do to it? Nothing. What do you mean?"

     "Something is different about this one."

     Riku frowned. How was he supposed to know? Maybe the soul had been special when it was alive. He was just the delivery boy.

     Xemnas' amber eyes brightened, like he'd figured out the big secret. "Pain! Panic!" he called out.

     Riku grimaced. Of all of Xemnas' subordinates, Pain and Panic were the worst. The two were so stupid that they could only be trusted with remedial tasks, so more often than not they were sent to spy on Riku and report back whenever he made a mistake.  The little imps hurried into the room when they were summoned, Panic zipping around with speed that matched Riku's own, and Pain tumbling down the stairs close behind.

     "Y-y-yes, Lord Xemnas." Panic stuttered, flitting around the room nervously. In his agitated state, he managed to run directly into the leg of the table and knock over the figurines. One in particular, a little statue of Leon, tumbled over the edge and the trident held in his hands stuck itself right into Pain's tail, making the imp shout.

     Riku huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Xemnas simply held out the orb to Panic, a smug smile on his face. "Pain, Panic, can either of you tell me what is wrong with this soul?"

     Panic held out his hands to take it from his master, right up until Xemnas said what it was. Upon realizing the thing had once been living, his face contorted into a look of shock and disgust and he flung it away from his body. "Oh, gross!"

     Pain scurried after it, and tripped over Riku's feet twice before it was back in his possession. He tapped on it with one long claw, and held it up to see it better the same way Xemnas had done. Riku rolled his eyes. 

     "Umm...." Pain squinted. "I do not... know."

     "Oh, oh, I know!" Panic jumped up and down on his toes and waved his hand in the air. "Shades' souls aren't supposed to be that bright. There's too much light magic?"

     Riku's eyes widened.

     "Bingo." Xemnas reached out and snatched the soul back from Pain, rubbing it on his sleeve like he was disgusted with who had been handling it. "Now where would you get light magic like this, Riku? You certainly didn't conjure it yourself, you have less light in your heart than they do." A long finger pointed to the imps. "Who'd you get to do _your_ job?"

     The demon boy lowered his sea green eyes to the floor, not daring to look Xemnas in the eye. "It... it wasn't like that."

     The god reeled back his hand and struck Riku across the face. The force was enough to bring Riku to his knees and left a scarlet print on his fair skin. Before he could try and defend himself again, Xemnas grabbed a clump of the boy's silver hair near the top of his head and used it to pull him up off the floor. "Tell me what it was like then, boy. What's wrong, was the crippled soul of one pathetic human too much for you to handle? Did you run off to one of my brothers to ask for help? Which one of them did you talk to?!"

     Riku gasped with pain when Xemnas shook him by the hair to emphasize his words, but otherwise tried to school his actions to remain passive. Repulsed by his silence, the god tossed his errand boy to the side. Riku grunted and braced himself against the stone floor with his hands, glancing over his shoulder but not meeting his master's gaze. "It wasn't your brothers, I didn't tell any of them, I swear."

     Xemnas delivered a swift kick to Riku's abdomen and then placed his foot on the side of the boy's head, threatening to crush him. "Where did you get the light magic then?" His words were slow and deliberate, ensuring that Riku would understand.

     The silverette wheezed and clutched his arms around his diaphragm, taking time to catch his breath before answering. "I-it was... this Hero. He showed up to fight the Shade. I... I let him kill it and took advantage of his light. Then I stole the soul and left him with the corpse."

     All of this was technically true. He had meet Sora who was trying to kill the Shade, and he had allowed Sora to use his light magic just to make the time go by a little faster. He might not have been as sinister and cruel the way he had made it sound, but that was the easiest way to get Xemnas to let him go without hurting him; he had to pretend sometimes that he was the ruthless monster his master wished him to be.

     "Hero, what Hero?" Xemnas demanded, pressing down on Riku's temple even harder.

     Riku flinched and clenched his eyes shut. "I don't know. Just some Hero. He's not a threat though, can't even control his glow. He's just a trainee, a new kid. I didn't exactly ask him who his parents were."

     He hadn't had to ask. Sora had offered that information on his own.

     This seemed to pacify Xemnas for the moment anyway. He removed his foot from the side of Riku's head and allowed him to get back up. Still fearing that his master might be angry with him, Riku only got to his knees, keeping his head low. The god paced in front of him, absorbing the information he'd been given. "Why didn't you just kill the brat when you were done?"

     "Why would I risk angering his lowlife parents for no reason?" Riku argued. "He was useful, he didn't get in my way, he didn't impair my mission at all. Killing him would have just been an insult. If he'd caused trouble and I killed him, at least I could say it was his fault for trying to stop me."

     Xemnas made an exasperated noise. "You're nearly as powerful as a god, Riku. There's no reason for you to tremble in the shadows like a coward. You should have killed him anyway, and anyone else who had a problem with it. If only you were more like your father instead of that worthless human mother of yours."

     Riku said nothing, but his eyes darkened and he fixed his gaze on a crack in the floor.

     The god began to walk back over to his desk. "Get up. Next time you see that Hero, I want you to run him through."

     Halfway back up to his feet, Riku's eyes widened and he looked up at this master in horror. "But why? He's so insignificant that he's not even worth the trouble to-"

     He was cut off with a choke when Xemnas wrapped his long fingers around Riku's throat, pulling the rest of the way up. "If he's of that little importance, it shouldn't be a problem for someone like you to take him out in between the rest of your schedule, should it?" Riku clawed at the hand that held him, trying his hardest to breathe, but to no avail. When he didn't answer, Xemnas tightened his grip to the point of bruising. "Well??"

     Riku could only nod.

     Xemnas released him and tossed him to the side. "Leave. I don't want to see your face again until you're bring home my Manticore."

     The boy hurried out the door, pulling his cloak tight around his neck. Xemnas watched him go with disinterested eyes. When he was out of sight, the man turned to regard Pain and Panic, who'd resorted to hiding under the god's desk and quaking. "You two. Follow him. Keep an eye on our boy for me. I want to know the second he strays off course."

     "Y-yes sir." They both spoke in unison.

~~~

     It was mid-morning when Sora and his team returned. The people of Thebes were milling throughout town, going about their daily business when Pegasus landed in the center of the square and the Hero pushed the body of a limp shade off of the horse's back. It landed in a pile of limbs, it's mouth still agape in a frozen scream like it had been during it's last few moments alive. Well, as alive as the dead walking the earth could be, anyway. People ignored him at first, like they always did with the boy. But then someone gasped and a basket of apples was dropped. Heads began to turn and a murmuring spread throughout the city like a fog.

     Sora sat tall and strong on Pegasus' back, waiting until he had everyone's attention. Phil had told him that the only way he was going to gain the respect of the people was to make a big entrance, and by the gods, if this wasn't big enough for them, he didn't know what he was going to do. The Hero scoured the crowed. There was one person he wanted to make sure understood the level of his determination.

     Spotting a head of familiar blond hair, Sora urged Pegasus forward, leaving the corpse behind. Seifer's expression remained hard as the boy approached, unflinching. Pegasus was eased to a halt at the blond's feet and Sora nodded over his shoulder to his prize. "His head isn't on a pike, so you'll have to forgive me for that. You don't mind, do you?"

     Seifer said nothing, but he did spare a glance around the horse. The color drained from his face at the sight, and his rigid demeanor fell. No one moved, or dared to go near the Hero and the monster. Seifer stepped aside as Sora passed, making his way slowly through town. A wall of people fell back to let him pass, splitting down the middle. All of Thebes was silent as the grave, the gurgling of the fountain making the only sound. Sora had halfway left the square when the cheering started. He didn't see who had started clapping first but like rainfall it had started soft and spread to be an all-encompassing roar around him. Sora smiled.

~~~

     "Okay Sora, focus! Focus!" Phil was barking at him again, and Sora was beginning to wonder how it was that the satyr wasn't tired of training yet. He certainly was. In the two days since he'd killed the Shade it had been quiet, but now he was more content with it. The people no longer looked at him like he was carrying the plague. In fact, he'd go as far as saying that some of them might even like him.

     Well, that was the impression that the four girls who were watching him from the safety of the benches. They made it very hard to concentrate. He'd always been someone people kept an eye on, because of his penchant for destruction, but now he felt more like he was on display. The girl on the right raised a hand to wave and flashed him a coy smile. Sora's pinkened and offered a shy smile and a wave back, having no time to react when a blitzball struck him hard in the head. The Hero tumbled to the ground and a fit of high pitched giggles chorused behind him.

     When he managed to blink away the stars spinning in his vision, he opened his eyes again to see Phil standing over him with his arms crossed over his chest. "What'd I tell ya about concentrating, huh? You want to get to Olympus or do you want to chase after a pair of big goo goo eyes!"

     "Phiiil..." Sora whined and sat up, rubbing his head. "Come on, we've been at this for hours. I thought that by leaving that island and coming here, were going to do less training and more fighting."

     "Yeah, and right now you're doing neither." The trainer heaved a heavy sigh at Sora's pout and waved him off. "Alright, fine! You're done for the day, get out of here."

     Sora leaped to his feet and scooped Phil up into a large hug. "Thanks Phil! I owe ya one!"

     Phil squirmed in his grip, his face turning a shade of purple until the boy finally dropped him. Sora tore out of the colosseum they'd been training in and headed straight for Kairi's. She had agreed to take him outside the city to work on his magic training where no one could potentially get caught in the cross hairs, and her training was profusely more exciting now that Riku had given him a starting point. He hadn't been able to replicate what had happened out on the cliff side yet, but he could feel it inside his chest now, which was more than he could say a week ago. Kairi was just as eager to get a jump start on Sora's training and so they were off towards the river in a matter of minutes.

     He hadn't told her exactly what had happened. It would be too complicated to try and explain how a man who could only be described as a demon had threatened to kill him (repeatedly), then helped him kill the Shade and shown him how to use his magic, and then disappeared with the Shade's soul. No, that information would be met with nothing but concern. And he had a sneaking suspicion that Riku wouldn't be pleased if Sora started telling stories about him; he was much too private a person. Sora had already had to bribe him just for a name.

     Kairi brought his attention back to her and began giving him instructions. Meditation was always first. She said that the mind had to be clear and calm if he wanted to use light magic, which made sense when he thought back to the only other time he'd been able to perform it. Even in the center of battle with chaos swirling around him, the light had called out to him and everything else had been blocked out. Make no mistake, he'd still known where he was, still been able to recognize what was happening, but in his head it had been quieter.

     Sora followed her instructions with apt attention, but there was something tugging at the back of his mind. Halfway through their lesson, he'd begun to feel the intensity of someone's gaze following them.

~~~

     For all the years that he'd been alive, Riku didn't think he'd ever begin to get used to the feel of blood on his skin. He didn't think he'd ever begin to understand Xemnas' orders either. Sometimes they specifically ordered him not to use violence; go steal a spear from Nessus but don't kill him, go bring me back a Manticore but don't kill him. Other times he wanted death to be very precise. Go toss a Cydonian merchant over a cliff, go cut out the heart of a duke in Argos and feed it to Cerberus, go bury a priest from Tegea alive. It never ended. Riku knew better than to disobey or ask for an explanation. Today was no different. Go cut off the head of a hermit in the forest of Delphi.

     That was what he did. Kill or be killed wasn't even an option; Xemnas would never let him leave this world to spend eternity in the afterlife with his family like everyone else, no matter how much he wished for it. Blood staining his hands and clothes, he made his way towards the river, eyes dark and distant.

     The water was cold against his skin, but even that annoyance wasn't enough to tear himself from his thoughts. Throwing his cloak into the river to rinse it out, the silverette took a deep breath and dunked his head under. Bubbles swirled in front of him when he opened his eyes, his long hair swaying back and forth around the edge of his vision. Today felt like a good day to hold his breath until he passed out, and let the water wash away all the horrible things he'd done. But his list was far from over, like always.

     Riku roughly scrubbed the blood from his face and then emerged with a small gasp. He rung the water from his hair and went to work on his arms, rubbing them raw trying to get rid of that awful smell. Xemnas always said that he didn't notice when Riku had come back from a killing, but Riku could tell. If there was even a drop of blood left on his clothes, he'd catch it and it would haunt him until it was gone.

     Maybe he was a little obsessive.

     He'd only gotten through with one hand, rubbing in between the fingers and under the nails, when he winds shifted and carried the scent of a human his way. Two humans maybe.

     "Crap." The man fished his cloak out of the river and ducked into the small alcove behind the waterfall. Last thing he needed to make this day worse was for some half-witted little girl to stumble upon him covered head to toe in death and lose her mind. This is where he was hiding when Sora walked into view. Riku swore under his breath. There would be no more helping it now, Xemnas had directly ordered the boy's death. ' _Run him through_ ' he'd said. Fine. He'd been soft on the Hero for long enough, it was only a matter of time before his master had found out.

     Middle and index finger raised up, he tapped them behind his right ear. The three little arrow tattoos that appeared there shimmered for only a second before disappearing, but the light from the glow followed his fingertips down to his wrist where he placed them. Another glow and he was stringing a real arrow through a black bow in his hands by the time his fingers were pulled all the way back.

     The weapon had the ghostly appearance of something dripping with darkness. Black smoke surged around the curve of the limbs and the string hummed when Riku positioned the tip of his arrow over Sora's head. Like it was made for killing, excited for it. Riku took a steadying breath. All the Hero had to do was step out from around the tree he'd slipped behind and...

     The demon gasped and his eyes flew wide when she stepped out first. He normally prided himself on being a better shot than anyone, and just as good as the goddess Yuffie, Roxas' twin sister. But this time he felt his fingers slip and his aim falter. The string even snapped his wrist on the recoil. Riku hissed in pain and clutched his hand over what was sure to be a glorious welt forming on his arm. What a rookie mistake. He hadn't missed a shot like that in decades. And he had missed by long shot. His arrow, meant for Sora's head, now lodged itself in the trunk of a tree well above him and the girl who looked startlingly like an old friend of his.

     Sora was just starting to brush off the feeling that they were being watched as a bit of paranoia when there was a 'whoosh' and a 'thunk' and some of the leaves on the tree above him rustled. Kairi made a startled squeak and they both looked up to find... was that an arrow? It was black and hissing angrily, like it was upset it's master had missed its mark. Dark smoke seemed to be eating away at the wood of its new found home, and some of the bark dripped away like molten metal.

     "Someone's shooting at us!" Kairi announced, clearly stunned. As if the obvious needed to be stated. The evidence was right there, killing a perfectly good tree.

     "Kairi, run back to town. Hurry! Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Sora added when she looked at him in shock. He offered her a confident smile. "Go, quick!" He gave her a little nudge to get her started and she obeyed, taking off through the forest and back the way they had come. So much for his magic lesson. Oh well, this was much more exciting anyway.

     The Hero whipped around, eyes searching for the culprit. Something dark and shadowy slipped out from behind the waterfall and scurried away, trying to keep cover behind the rocks. There was no way Sora was letting him run off after attacking his friend like that. Sora was on the opposite bank of the river but he took off, matching pace with the offender from his side.

     He paused for only a second. The tree that had taken the fall looked to be on its way to the grave now anyway, so Sora tried not to feel guilty about ripping it out of the ground. He wrapped both arms encircling the trunk, so big he couldn't get his arms all the way around it, and pulled. Branches groaned and roots came lose with a snap. The Hero heaved it onto his shoulder like a log and spun back around to the river. It had gone still, but Sora knew the shooter couldn't have gotten far.

     There! Trying to sneak out from behind a boulder. Sora hoisted the tree over his head and brought it crashing down on the other side like a fly swatter. Branches shatter, both from his tree and the ones around him. Sora winced when flocks of birds scrambled for the sky, squawking at him angrily. Under the carnage there was a small groan and Sora jumped up onto the trunk, using his makeshift weapon as a bridge to cross the waters.

     Riku had been spared from being impaled by branches only by his fast thinking. In the last second before impact, he'd managed to throw a dome like shield around him, but that had shattered under the weight of the trunk. That had hurt even more than being crushed. Now he lay pinned by it's body, branches littering the ground around him in piles, his vision spinning.

     He wasn't even surprised when Sora came into view, standing on top of the subject of his imprisonment and adding his weight onto Riku's chest. The man wheezed and tried in vain to wiggle on of his arms free. "Tell me you didn't just try to skewer me."

    "Riku!" Sora frowned, planting his hands on his hips like this was the most casual situation in the world. "It was you that was shooting at us!"

     "You just tried to crush me with a tree," the demon argued.

     "Um, you hit your head just now?? You attacked me first!"

     "Touche." He wiggled again, only serving to add more scratches to his skin. "Now will you get this thing off of me." It was more a demand than a question.

     Sora crouched down and took a seat on his tree like a bench, his feet dangling only inches above Riku's chest. "Why would I do that? You just tried to kill either me or Kairi."

     "Kairi... That's the girl you were with..." Kairi, not Namine. Of course, he knew there was no way it could have been his Namine in the first place. He'd watched her die of old age years ago. Now he felt silly for allowing one little human girl to spook him so badly. "Let me up."

     "You know, you're a really terrible shot." Sora mused, swinging his feet like a child in front of Riku's nose.

      "Terrible sh...! I'm the best shot you'll ever see in your lifetime! I could have put one arrow through _both_ of your eyes if I'd wanted!"

     Sora giggled when Riku's fair skin turned red with rage. "Alright, alright. So you're saying you missed on purpose then."

     Riku turned his attention away from the Hero and began to work feverishly on releasing at least one of his limbs. "Think whatever you want, just let me go," he hissed.

     Sora frowned and prodded Riku's shoulder with his toe. "Don't do that, you'll hurt yourself. Hey, are you bleeding?"

     Riku groaned and tossed his head back. "Listen Hero, it's been a really shitty day already, and I would like it to be over with."

    "Okay, how about this; we talk for a bit, you answer some questions, and I'll let you out. You did promise to tell me about the gods, you know."

     Riku leveled Sora with one of his sharpest glares. "You're holding me hostage _under a tree_ so that you can force me to rattle off useless trivia? Are you out of your mind?? I'm going to snap your scrawny neck when I get out of here, you know that right?"

     "A risk I'm willing to take." Sora grinned. "So? What do you say?"

     Riku weighed his options. He could use magic to rip a hole in the ground under him, but then he'd fall in. He could probably open a portal back to the Underworld, but chances are the tree would come with him and he'd have to explain to Xemnas. He could use fire and try and blast his way out. Every option he could think up ended with him getting hurt. Better to use those as a last resort. "Fine. But you only get twenty."

     Sora cheered and Riku rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. Um..." The Hero worried his lip between his teeth while he thought. "...Got it! How did you meet my dad?"

     "No." Riku's retort was sharp, and he stuck his nose in the air in an attempt to still look a little bit dignified. "Questions about me are off limits. And could you get down from there?? This thing is heavy enough without you standing on me."

     "Um, you aren't exactly in a great position to haggle, pal." Sora jumped off his perch and made himself comfortable on the ground next to Riku's head. "How did you meet my dad?" he demanded.

     Riku huffed and looked away. There was little way he was getting out of this. "Cloud rescued me from my master, Xemnas, when I was first brought to the Underworld."

     "Rescued you? That doesn't make any sense, you still belong to Xemnas, don't you?"

     "Is that really your second question?" Riku smirked up at the boy at Sora pouted.

     "Hey that's not fair! You have to _answer_ the question for real. Not just string me along!"

     "You know, you're making up a lot of stuff to this game on the spot, I think we should establish some ground rules." The demon countered.

     "Fine then!" Sora ticked off each finger on his hand as he spoke. "Number one: I get to ask any question I want and you have to answer if you want me to release you. Number two! You have to tell the truth! Number three: if there's more details behind your answer, you have to explain yourself."

     "You almost done?"

     "Number four." The Hero continued like he hadn't even heard the interruption. "I can only ask twenty questions and then I have to let you go. And number five: you can't try to escape or otherwise leave until you've answered them all. There, now I'm done. Agreed?" Sora nudged Riku's shoulder.

     "Fine! Don't touch me." Riku did his best to shimmy away from the offending hand. "Look, your uncle Xemnas kidnapped me when I was twenty-two, and used some weird dark magic to turn me into this... well, this. Your dad showed up and tried to get Xemnas to let me go but he wouldn't listen, so Cloud tried to release me by force but it was too late and now here we are. He's probably the only reason I'm not a mindless, emotionless slave."

     Sora stared at him at the rush of words, stunned and unblinking. Riku looked up when he was met with silence and growled. "What, you thought it would be some cheerful little story about how I skipped into the Underworld and said to Xemnas 'hi, I'm Riku, please make me your eternal servant'?"

     "No... No, I just... I'm sorry..."

     "Don't be. That's all anyone ever is, is sorry for me."

     The pair were both silent for a while, neither knowing what to say after that. Without any warning, Sora got to his feet and grabbed two hefty branches, lifting the tree off of Riku's chest. He wiggled out from under it and eyed Sora suspiciously.

     Sora shrugged. "You agreed you wouldn't leave until we were done anyway. Are you okay?"

     The older man shrugged. "Probably."

     "Okaaay. Are you bleeding?"

     Riku shook his head, glancing down at himself. "No. The blood isn't mine."

     Sora frowned and opened his mouth to respond but Riku cut him off. "Think long and hard about what you say next. You're now on question four, don't waste it on something you don't want to know the answer to..."

     The Hero snapped his jaw shut, looking over the man in front of him. "...Come on then. Let's get you cleaned up while we talk." He held out his hand to help the other up, but Riku swatted it away and pulled himself to his feet on his own. Sora couldn't help but smirk a little. This guy was turning out to be very stubborn.

     Riku stood and brushed himself off, shaking away the dirt and leaves. "This way. There's a better place to sit upstream where it's not so loud." Sora nodded and allowed the man to lead the way, away from the noise of the waterfall. Nothing was said for the next few minutes, and Sora almost tripped over him when Riku plopped down into the grass suddenly and began to work at the twigs in his hair.

     Sora sat next to him and watched, trying to think of another question that might not bring up so many painful memories for Riku, when a purple bruise curved around the man's throat caught his attention. It was a wonder that he had missed it before. "Gods, what happened to your neck??"

     "Xemnas tried to strangle me." The answer was nonchalant, but the flash of horror across Sora's face made Riku smirk. "Relax, Hero. He wouldn't actually do it. It's too much trouble to resurrect me if I died."

     "Wait, aren't you immortal like the gods?"

     "Sure are blazing though these questions quick, aren't you? I am immortal, but not like the gods are. I would have been like them if your dad hadn't interrupted the process of turning me, but he did. So as it is, I can't die of sickness or old age, but you could kill me. Though it wouldn't last much longer than a day because Xemnas wouldn't allow it."

     That made sense. What would it feel like, he wondered, to have your soul ripped out of you and put back in over and over. He was about to ask as much, but the next time he looked over, he was forced to shield his eyes in his hands, his face burning.

     "Whoa, whoa, what are you doing!?"

     Sora couldn't see it, but he could have sworn he heard Riku chuckle. An idea that didn't match up with the man's always serious image at all.

     "You humans are so prudent." Riku gripped the back of his chiton and pulled in over his head, discarding his clothes in a pile next to Sora's legs. "When you're as old as I am, you realize that no one cares about modesty anymore."

     Sora felt the splash when Riku jumped into the water, but didn't dare look yet. "Um, well when I hit that point, I'll let you know. Until then, you could at least warn a guy!"

     Riku nestled into a comfortable spot against a rock and started to wash his arms off like he had been doing before he and the Hero crossed paths. "You can open your eyes now, gods."

     The boy peeked between two fingers, half worried Riku might be pulling a prank on him and he was going to get another eyeful. Instead, Riku was merely scowling at him, submerged nearly to his shoulders. Sora blew a deep breath through his nose, willing himself to relax. "That last question didn't count. You startled me." An eyeroll was the only response Sora got. "Okay, so how about this then. What are the real names of all the gods?"

     Teal eyes wide, Riku looked back at him in shock. "All of them? Do you have any idea how many there are? I couldn't tell you half."

     "Okay, just the important ones."

     This time, Riku did laugh. It was rich and deep and the first time Sora had seen the other even crack a smile. It made him look younger, like he was actually still the twenty-two-year-old his body resembled. "Okay, well that does narrow it down a bit, but be careful about who you say that too. You throw around words like 'important' and you could start a civil war."

     Sora nodded eagerly.

     A small amount of the tension in Riku shoulders seemed to seep away as he began to relax. "We'll start with the twelve. First of all, there are your parents, Cloud and Tifa. Then there's Xemnas, who you know of, and their brother, Leon, God of the Sea. Aerith is your aunt, Goddess of the Harvest, known here as Demeter. She's very gentle, you'd probably like her. Athena's is your other aunt; her real name is Aqua."

     "You don't happen to have something to write all this down with, do you?" Sora was shot down with a glare, and the boy shrank. "Okay, sorry for interrupting."

     Silver hair shimmered when Riku shook his head in annoyance. "The twins, Apollo and Artemis, are Roxas and Yuffie. Yuffie is alright, but she's a little high strung and cocky. Roxas is the same, but he has a self-righteous 'I'm better than all of you' attitude to go with it. Ares goes by Axel. He and Roxas caused a small scandal about a hundred years ago when they hooked up."

     "Hooked up, you mean like...?"

     "They're lovers. It's pretty common for immortals not to have much of a preference between men and women." Riku smirked at Sora's stunned silence. "That's not a problem for the little Hero, is it?"

     The Hero in question shook his head vigorously, tossing his spikes.

     "Good. They're both perfectly willing to rip the throats out of anyone who doesn't approve. None of the gods care anymore. And last, we've got Terra, Yuna, and Demyx. Otherwise known as Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Hermes.

     Never one that was very good for memorizing things, Sora silently started to count off fingers, mouthing some of the names in correlation. Seven. That's all he was going to be able to take home with him, if he'd even make it that far. Next time he'd have to bring something to write with. Of course, Riku was about as predictable as a hurricane, so that meant it might be better if he carried something around at all times. "You'll probably have to repeat those for me again someday."

     "You're such an oaf..." Riku muttered quietly under his breath. "That was eight, you're on question nine."

     "Nine!? No, I should be on seven!"

     "You used one to ask me if I had a pen, and another for me to clarify 'hooking up'. Nine." Arms crossed over his chest, Riku dared anyone to challenge him.

     "While you little...! Ohhh, you're sneaky." Glowering, Sora crossed his arms to match, but looking much more sullen.

     "And you're careless. I'm a demon, what did you expect?" A smile played at the edge of Riku's mouth again. His normally stormy sea green eyes now held a playful glimmer, and Sora realized that the demon might actually be enjoying this game, even if it was just because he got to string the Hero along.

     "Fine." Sora conceded, remembering what his father had said about Riku never backing down. If it meant he might be able to get a little bit closer to the prickly man, Sora was willing to let this one slide on a technicality. "Number nine, then. Um, is it okay if I... I mean... I'm _going_ to ask a few more questions about you..." He spoke carefully, phrasing each word like a statement so that Riku wouldn't count it against him. "And if you don't want to answer, you can tell me, and I'll pick a different one."

     Those intense eyes transfixed on him again and Sora froze. Riku was looking at him so critically, like a snake about to strike, that he didn't dare move. "...You're staring at me funny."

     "...You're changing the rules. You said that you got to choose all the questions. Any one you wanted."

     His shoulders lifted up in a small shrug. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable..."

     Riku looked away, his gaze drifting as he lost himself in his thoughts. When was the last time anyone had cared about hurting his feelings? He wasn't sure he could remember. Probably one of the gods, maybe Cloud or Leon. But they pitied him, where Sora was just naturally gentle. "Go ahead."

     A bright grin broke across Sora's face. "Did you live in the demon realm before you were taken by Xemnas?"

     "No. I was born in Sparta but was taken to Athens by my uncle as a newborn. He was human. So was my mother."

     "Human? You're part human?? You never said that!" Sora gaped, his sapphire eyes blown wide.

     Riku chuckled. "I didn't think you would believe me. Most people don't unless they met me right after I became immortal. I'm half human. My mother died when I was a baby, and my uncle Noctis raised me to believe that I was completely normal."

     "So you didn't even know? How did you not find out that you were part demon until Xemnas took you?"

     Riku had gone back to meticulously cleaning his nails, searching for any trace of blood. "I suspected. We were hermits; we lived in the woods as far away from civilization as Noctis could afford. I wasn't allowed in town because if anyone saw my hair, we'd be chased out. And I was always being followed by these shadows. Sometimes they'd talk to me, but I was the only one that could hear them. I knew Noctis was lying, trying to protect me. I just didn't know from what."

     Somehow, Sora felt like he could understand that. It was actually quite similar to his own life, though he'd never been chased out of town because of how he looked. It also explained why Riku always kept himself covered, and why he wouldn't allow Sora to touch his hair. It had caused him nothing but pain. "Would you leave Xemnas if you could?"

     "In a heartbeat." The man answered without even blinking. He inspected his arms and deemed himself clean. The clothes he'd been wearing had been protected by his cloak, so he felt comfortable putting those back on. "Close your eyes, Hero. I'm getting out again."

     Hands flew up to his face, and Sora ducked his head down just to make sure. "U-um... where would you go if he released you?"

     Riku's voice came back muffled as he dressed. "He'd never release me."

     "Hypothetically."

     "You can open your eyes now." When Sora looked up, Riku was standing, slightly damp but clothed and scowling. "Hypothetically, I'd go to the afterlife."

     "You-?" A lump caught in Sora's throat at the idea. "You'd rather _die_ than stay with him? Why not just go live in Olympus?!"

     "That probably wouldn't be so bad, but only gods can live in Olympus." Riku gave a short laugh but this time there was no humor in it. "Could you even imagine someone like me becoming a god? I don't think so. All of my family is dead except my father, who's a demon I've never met. I have no home, no friends, and I've seen too much. Maybe if there was someone to stay for... but there's not."

     "But-!"

     "Hero, you can't change how I feel. And don't worry about it so much. I'm probably not going anywhere for a long, long time."

     That actually might have made Sora feel even worse. If he hadn't been motivated to become a god before, he definitely was now. Someone had to do something to help Riku. Even if it meant just having someone to talk to who would live as long as he would, Sora wanted to be that person. The boy got to his feet and brushed off his clothes with the flat of his palms, keeping his eyes low. "...You don't call me by my name. You only call me 'Hero'. Why is that?"

     Riku took half a step back when Sora got up and their faces became absurdly close together.  "...We aren't friends."

     "But we could be friends, couldn't we?"

     The man tossed his silver hair, shaking his head. "No. It'll end badly."

      That didn't sound the same as 'no, I don't want to' in Sora's opinion. It'll end badly meant that someone, most likely Xemnas, was holding Riku back. Well. Sora wasn't going to let that hold him back. Not leaving room for Riku to dodge or protest, Sora threw his arms around the demon's neck. The man was tall, Sora's head fitting perfectly against his shoulder, and he smelled faintly like burning incense.

     Riku sucked in a sharp breath and went still as stone, his entire body stiffening under Sora's touch. Seconds passed before he was able to find his voice again. "Wh-what are you doing??"

     "It's called a hug, dummy. Don't you know what a hug is?"

     "Of course I know what a hug is!" Riku squirmed, trying to wiggle his arms out of Sora's grip. Damn, the Hero really was strong. He was ready to snap at him about how you didn't hug people you weren't friends with, but something stopped him.

     It might have been that only two, maybe three people in his life had ever touched him so casually. But mostly it was the way his skin started to prickle and the hair on his neck stood on end. Riku was no stranger to being spied on. He knew what it felt like when someone was watching. And he knew exactly who would dare to.

     "Let me go."

     Riku's calmness surprised Sora. A moment ago he'd seemed ready deck the boy in the face. Now he just looked distracted, staring off into the woods like he could see something Sora couldn't. So Sora listened and removed his arms. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you..."

     The Hero's words brought Riku's attention back to the present and he looked down at those innocent blue eyes staring up at him. They would never be friends. Sora had to know that they couldn't be near each other so long as he wanted to live. There had to be a way to make him see that.

     It was the quickness of Riku's movements that caught Sora off guard once again. A hand struck the boy in the shoulder and Sora stumbled back, barely able to catch himself before he hit the ground. He looked up just in time to see Riku conjure a dagger from a small tattoo on his finger and his eyes went wide. "What are you doing??"

     "That's twenty."

     Sora hardly noticed it at first. He saw the blood, but didn't register the pain. Actually, he didn't register the offense at all. It was like it was someone else's body he was looking at, with a knife protruding between the bones of his forearm, not his own. His voice caught in his throat and all he could do was hold the limb away from himself and whimper, shock settling into his skin. The wound went clean through, and in his accuracy Riku had managed to avoid getting any more blood on his freshly bathed skin.

     "I ran you through." Sora's eyes snapped up to meet Riku's intense stare. "Just like I was told to do. No one can say that I didn't do _exactly_ as I was asked." The man's eyes drifted back to the line of trees, like he was explaining this for someone other than Sora's benefit. But the Hero was too far gone to understand why.

     "...Y-you... you..." Sora stammered, but Riku cut him off.

     "Go home, Hero. Get that checked. Don't look for me, don't wait for me to come back. Don't try to find me again."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so so sorry for the long update! I promise I'm not giving up on this story, October and November were just really crazy! Also, this chapter was difficult for me, it was long, and detailed, and even though I worked on it all the time, I kept going back to fix things instead of forward. But! Here it is! Thanks to everyone who read so far and left all of your lovely comments, they mean the world to me.

     "Okay, Sora, just hold still for one minute..."

     Sora squirmed in Kairi's grasp, whimpering when she gave a tug at the blade in his arm. It shifted no more than an inch before getting stuck again, and the healer was quickly growing worried. Sora had run straight home after it happened. The way Riku had glared at him while plunging a blade into his body had been enough to make him want to crawl under a rock and never see the sun again. It had made his heart pound painfully in his chest and sent ice through his veins, quite literally adding insult to injury. The Hero didn't know what had gone wrong, he'd thought they were finally starting to connect a little. And then Riku had looked at him, with all the hatred in the Underworld hidden behind those fiery eyes, and he ran, just like Riku told him to do. Run and don't look back.

     "Phil, grab a bowl of hot water for me! And some more towels! You're doing great, Sora," she crooned at him. The last half hour had been her running in and out of his little house to the medicine and herb shop connected to it, coupled with trying to keep him from spiraling deeper into shock.

     And he didn't feel like he was doing great. He felt like a coward, and oddly enough, like an expecting mother with the way Kairi was coddling him. He rubbed at the tears that stung his puffy cheeks while the girl searched through her tools on the counter, deciding on one that was long and flat, like a thin knife but with no blade. Carefully, trying not to hurt Sora any more than he already was, she shimmied it between the knife and his skin and started to pry the dagger out.

     Finally, it came lose in her hand and she dropped it and her tools onto the kitchen table, hurriedly wrapping Sora's arm up in one of the towels that Phil passed her.

     "You should keep that knife on you from now on."

     It had been a while since his mentor had spoken, since he'd come bursting through the door, so Sora looked up in surprise.

     "Wh-why would I want to do that?" Sora sniffled and tried unsuccessfully to wipe his nose on the back of his wrist. "Have you even seen that thing? It looks like it came straight out of hell!" After a moments pause, he chuckled, low and humorlessly. "Actually, it probably did."

     "Keep it anyway. That way, next time you see that bastard, you can stick it right in his back."

     "Phil!" Kairi chided. "Do you really think that's the best topic for right now?" Under her scrutinous examination, the satyr ducked his head. She only grumbled and went back to attending Sora's arm. "Make yourself useful and hold his arm while I flush the wound out."

     Phil did as she asked, and held the limb still while Kairi started to clean it up. She must have been satisfied that he wasn't going to get an infection, because after moments of examination, she put down the washing cloth and hovered her hand above the gash. A warm golden light shimmered around her fingers and cast the room in a calming glow.

     Sora looked away. The sensation was warm, and not unpleasant at all, but in his state of mind he didn't think he could watch his skin stitch itself back together without losing the contents of his stomach. He could already feel it; his skin was gliding back together like a rent in his clothes being mended. When he opened his eyes again, Kairi was cleaning the blood off of him, his arm perfectly intact except for the two silver scars. One on the top of his arm and one on the underside. A permanent memory.

     "Now listen up Sora, just because it looks healed, doesn't mean you get to go around wrestling with monsters in the dirt any time soon, you hear me? You still have to give your body time to recover, magic like mine only goes so far."

     "...Thanks, Kairi. This is really amazing you know. It's like it was never even there." The Hero picked up the knife and turned it over in his hands, like it might reveal something behind the thought process of its owner. It was incredibly crafted, all black and made of a metal he didn't recognize, with spiraling dark runes engraved into its blade. They reminded him of the runes etched into Riku's body that only appeared when he was using dark magic. All of them except the one branded into this chest.

     Kairi took a seat across from the boy and started to clean up the mess they'd made of Sora's kitchen table. "Now, will you tell me exactly what happened? Who was that person that was shooting at us? Was he trying to kill you?"

     Sora opened his mouth but stopped. How was he supposed to answer that when he didn't know for himself? If Riku was such a good shot, why did he miss? If he had been ordered to hurt Sora, why did he leave him with an injury he could easily walk away from? Why did he indulge Sora and his questions in the first place when he could have easily just vanished? He was good at that, at vanishing.

     "He's a demon. Someone who Sora fought on our way here," Phil answered for him.

     "That's not true! He's not a demon!" Before Sora could think about it, he was on his feet. His hands slamming down on the table made Kairi's equipment rattle and his chair toppled over behind him.

     Kairi was stunned into silence, but Phil's eyes narrowed in irritation. "Why are you defending him? You're always defending him, even now when he just tried to kill you and left you a little souvenir to remember him by!"

     "He's not a demon. Not completely. His mother was a human, he told me." Sora grit out through his clenched teeth.

     "He lied to you! That's what demons do! He told you what you wanted to hear. Or if he didn't, and he is half human, that just makes him a filthy, half-bred, traitorous, _mongrel_ of a man, and I don't know why you think that there's anything good in him, no matter who he used to be!"

     The two stared at each other, long and hard, and Sora was the first one to break the contact and turn to leave, grabbing a cloak from the hooks on the wall on his way out.

     "Where do you think you're going?!" Phil called after him. "We aren't done here!"

     "There's good in everybody, so long as they're willing to act on it," Sora snarled back. "If you don't believe that, then we are absolutely done here."

~~~

     Pain and Panic coward behind the legs of a chair, trembling while their master paced in front of them. They had returned from their mission only moments ago with triumphant smiles on their faces, proudly announcing that Riku had done exactly as Lord Xemnas had asked and ran the little Hero brat through. Right through the arm. Just like he'd been told.

     That had not gone over well.

     Xemnas never paused in his pacing, but his molten amber eyes snapped up to bore into the imps. "Did you even get his name?"

     "Nn-n-no, Lord. It was never spoken. R-riku didn't say it out loud," Panic stammered.

     "And a description? What did he look like? Did he have any unusual traits??"

     "Ummm." Pain scratched his head, his brow wrinkling up with the effort the concentration cost him. "He was... kind of short? With brown hair! Maybe Riku's age?"

     "Riku is two-hundred and twenty-six, you imbeciles! Are you suggesting that the Hero who has my carefully crafted demon acting out in civil disobedience is a two-century old human fossil?" Xemnas snapped.

     What little light that was in the room began to flicker. Smoke and energy arched off Xemnas' body and his shadows began to creep up the walls. Stone started to rattle, like a ghostly melody that rose and fell in tune with their master’s rage. Xemnas only called upon dark spirits when he was really in a foul temper, something that was surprisingly difficult to accomplish. Humans were no match for the god's cunning, and other gods the man looked down on too much to let them get to him. Riku and Cloud were among the few who could really stir Xemnas up. Pain and Panic only made the list during especially severe blunders.

     "No, sir!" Pain amended, tripping over his words in an effort to correct his mistake. "I wasn't trying to suggest- I mean, what I meant was that they kind of looked like the same age!"

     "Fantastic! So, we're looking for a short, brown haired, young adult human male, with no name and no known family. Congratulations, you two have really outdone yourselves this time."

     Panic poked his head out from behind Panic's back, where he'd previously been shivering, and raised one pointy blue finger. "W-we can do better, Lord. We can go and find out more about him."

     "Oh,” a sinister smile spread over Xemnas’ face. “You will. But this time, I'm not giving you the option of screwing anything up."

     The imps both shared a perturbed look with one another and Pain shrugged his stubby shoulders. Xemnas made for his desk in the center of the room and ripped open one of the drawers, fishing around among his belongings and emerging with what appeared to look suspiciously like an eyeball.

     The god thrust it into Pain's hands, and Panic made a gagging sound from behind him. It was an eyeball. It squished and slipped and smelled, all like a real eyeball should, the only difference was that the entire iris was black instead of just the pupil. Pain sucked in a large gulp of air and held his breath, keeping the eye at an arms distance away.

     "You'll take that with you this time. Next time you see Riku and that Hero together, so will I. You understand?"

     "Yessir." They spoke in unison.

~~~

     Things had been tense between the Hero and Phil the last few days. Ever since he'd come stumbling home with a knife plunged through his arm, Phil had kept a careful eye on Sora, like an overprotective mother hen making sure none of her flock strayed too far away. He even followed Sora to his magic lessons with Kairi, which had come to a standstill. The only place he could get away was the temple. 

     It was quite this time of night, not completely yet dark, but still late enough that the regular crowd had all shuffled back to their homes to spend time with their families. For that, Sora was grateful. He didn't think his dad would show if there were anyone else in the room. 

     The statue was a welcome sight after the week he'd been having. Arms outstretched, his father looked like he could almost be there in person to comfort him and advise him on what to do. He was in the process of lighting a few torches, just about to call out to gods, but something about the statue of Cloud caught his attention. He wasn't one hundred percent certain, but there appeared to be someone’s sandaled foot dangling over the arm of the marble throne, tiny as a child’s.

     "Hello?" Sora hesitated forward. "...Is anyone there?"

     The shoe moved, pulling back out of sight and Sora felt goosebumps crawl up his skin. “H-hey! You can’t be up there. Come down here and show yourself!”

     The statue was as still as… well, stone. The Hero held his breath, but nothing moved or made a sound. Climbing up a depiction of a powerful god was probably frowned upon by the high priests, but if whoever was up there wasn’t coming down, he’d have to go up. Certainly, his father would understand.

     That in mind, Sora stood beneath one of Cloud’s outstretched arms and peered up at the monstrous climb ahead of him. If Pegasus were here, he’d have been able to give him a boost, but he’d left the steed at home in favor of a little privacy with his father and his thoughts. He’d have to jump.

     Crouching down low, Sora took a deep breath and launched himself at the statue’s arm. He could jump higher than any human ever could, but without a running start, even he almost missed his target. He only barely was able to catch the thumb of his fathers’ hand, which was as long as his leg, and haul himself up. From there he was able to shimmy up the statues’ sleeve to its elbow and leap from the arm to the throne behind it.

     “Gotcha!” Sora announced, landing on one knee and looking around for the intruder. His triumphant expression fell a second later; the chair was empty. Other than the twittering of two little blue and pink birds who had flown in from the open windows, there was no one. But he had definitely seen someone moving up here. How did they manage to slip past him?

     The front doors to the temple swung open and footsteps started to file in, accompanied by angry voices.

     “You there, lock up the doors and make sure no one else is in here!”

     Great, the priests. Now he really would be in trouble, and without any proof that he’d been chasing someone. Sora crouched down in the corner of his father’s massive chair, keeping himself as well hidden as possible. He’d just have to wait until they left.

     …What were they doing here anyway? It was well past the time where everyone should have gone home. He was the only one who ever showed up at the temple to worship this late.

     “Gather around.”

     That had been the same man that spoke the first time, the high priest. Sora had only met him a few times, but he’d been a stony man with blue hair and an angry scar across his face.

     “What’s this all about, Saïx? Don’t you think it’s a bit late for this?”

     If Sora leaned down a little, he could see two or three of the men from in between the statue’s arm and torso. One of them was young, younger than he would have expected from a priest. He had dark, ash colored hair that draped in front of one eye. Another man was tall and blocky, arms crossed over his burly chest and orange hair spiked upwards.

     “There wasn’t much other option, Zexion. I just got word from a messenger in Larissa. There have been sightings all across Greece of a beast rampaging through the country. It’s already destroyed dozens of villages in Illyria and Macedonia, an it’s headed our way.”

     A rumbling chorus of outrage and disbelief rang against the high vaulted ceiling, but Sora could only pick out a handful of sentences.

     “What are we going to do??”

     “Has the King been notified yet?”

     “We have to evacuate the people.”

     “Quiet, quiet.” Saïx snapped. “The king already knows and he’s sending warriors our way to defend the city. There’s a possibility that the monster will circle around us and keep heading south, but there’s also the possibility that it will be at our gates before help can arrive. Lexaeus.”

     “Sir?” The orange haired man responded, his voice deep and rumbling.

     “Tomorrow start scouting throughout the city. I want every able bodied man gathered together. Warriors, blacksmiths, farmers, it doesn’t matter. Anyone who can fight or help build a defense, understood.”

     “Yessir.”

     “Saïx,” the dark haired man Saïx had called Zexion interjected. “What about that new Hero living at the healers’ shop? Have you considered asking him for help?”

     Sora leaned over the edge of the throne as far as he could without falling over, hanging on every word with bated breath. He couldn’t see Saïx but he could imagine him shaking his head with that ever-disappointed scowl still plastered on his face.

     “No. That outsider hasn’t proved to be anything more than an attention seeking charlatan. It’s _real_ soldiers we need, not some dirty orphan’s theatrics.”

     The group continued to discuss solutions, but honestly, after that Sora didn’t hear a word of it. He pushed himself back into the corner of the chair in a stunned silence. Charlatan? Since the day he’d arrived in this miserable city, he’d done nothing but sincerely search for a way to help these people, how was it that they still doubted him?

     The impromptu meeting must have ended because he could hear the voices drifting away and the door open and close shut again. One of the little birds that had fluttered in tweeted and fluffed up it’s wings, drawing Sora’s attention up to his father’s statue where they were perched on his head. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

     “You two are lucky your lives are so simple.”

~~~

     It was a grey and drizzly afternoon, but the city was in a quiet sort of commotion. People hurried from door to door, locating fighters, healers, and gathering weapons. The armory and the blacksmith were both bustling, but no one spoke except in hushed whispers, about the impending chaos.

     Sora was the only person who had not been contacted. He paced from window to window in their tiny house, waiting and hoping that his would be the next door to be knocked on. But no one showed. He and Phil were speaking more today, but even the kind words of his mentor couldn’t soothe the hurt in the Hero’s eyes.

     Phil sat at the kitchen counter, kicking his legs and watching his charge pace across the room. “Hey, kid? Why don’t you and I take Pegasus out and go find this monster on our own, huh?”

     Sora’s shoulders shrank. “…Thanks, Phil. But what’s the point if the people here don’t want me to intervene? I just thought it’d be better by now, ya know? I thought _someone_ would believe in me.”

     He was quiet and then there was a small hand tugging gently on Sora’s fingers to get his attention. The Hero looked down at Phil’s gentle gaze. “I believe in ya, kid. Come on, let’s go, I can’t have you getting soft on me.”

     It was quiet for a moment, and then the boy grinned and gave a firm nod, hauling Phil out the door toward the little stable they’d made for Pegasus. The horse looked equally excited to see that they were leaving and finally going to join the action. Heads turned to stare and a few even whispered, but the mistrust was written plain on their faces. Only days ago, they’d been cheering for him for killing the Shade. Apparently, their faith in him was only extended when it was others lives who were in danger and not their own.

     Pegasus leaped into action as soon as his rider was mounted and took off towards the skies, leaving Thebes behind in the mud. Sora guided them over the city gates to the hills just to the north. The city could still easily be seen behind them, as well as the stretch of rolling hills in front, and dense forest to the west. But no monster.

     Phil tugged on the back of Sora’s shirt. “Hey, Sor, you didn’t by chance hear what we were supposed to be looking for when you were eavesdropping on those priests, did ya?”

     Wind tugged at the boys’ unruly brown locks and the satyr’s words came faintly, drowned out by the building storm. Sora shook his head. “No!” he called back. “Just that they were really afraid of it!”

     “That’s not really that helpful! These guys are afraid of their own shadows!” A small lopsided grin broke Sora’s gloomy expression at that.

     Lightning flashed in the distance, lighting up the oddly dark country side, and thunder rolled in seconds after. With all that was going on, Sora almost missed the angry shouting from below. The Hero turned to look over his shoulder back at the city, and could see the lit torches and swords at the ready, itching to fight off some unseen intruder.

     “Pegasus! Take us back, I can’t tell what’s going on! Did we let it slip by?”

     The horse flipped around at his master’s command and hurried back to the city gates. Halfway there, Sora realized what had gotten everyone so riled up.

     “No!” He kicked at Pegasus’ sides and nearly crash landed them to get to the ground as fast as possible. Leaping off the horse’s back, Sora charged the crowd, waving his arms desperately. “Stop! That’s not him! Please wait, he won’t hurt anyone!”

     Seifer, off course, was at the head of the angry mob, right where anyone would expect him to be. He pointed angrily to the forest where a large silver hellhound slipped back behind the shelter of the trees. “Won’t hurt anyone? Have you lost your mind, little Hero!? That demon is the Dog of Death! He’s exactly what we’ve all been looking for! What else would be so terrible that a messenger would come all the way from Larissa to warn us about??”

     “You don’t understand!” Sora pleaded. “There has to be another explanation for why he’s here.”

     A tall blond haired man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. His clothes were caked in a layer of dirt and he smelled like a farmer. “Don’t you know about him? He comes in the middle of the night, breaks into your houses, steals the lives of your _children_. He took my little boy!”

     Sora sucked in a breath, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn’t sound horrible. He was spared by another voice of the crowd speaking out.

     “Your son was already sick, Villiers! The healers did everything they could, he wasn’t going to make it.”

     The blond whipped around growled at his opponent. “Are you calling me a liar?”

     “Hey!” Sora tried to push his way in between the two, but they dodged around him. More of the crowd was gathering around the Hero, all shouting and hollering complaints, offenses that the strange hellhound had either done to them personally or that they had heard about.

     Every man, woman and child, it seemed, had heard some kind of rumor about this Death’s Dog, and all of them clashed with one another, not two people having a story that matched. Sora did his best to settle the crowd down, but he had already aligned himself with the enemy in their eyes, and they wouldn’t hear a word of what he had to say.

     So, no one was watching the hills to the north like they’d been ordered to. More importantly though, no one was watching the skies, either. Instead, Sora had been pinned up against the wall by the gates, all eyes on him, all angry and yelling. No one saw when a large, winged creature, swooped in from the blackest clouds and landed right in the clearing before the city. But they did turn when four enormous lions’ paws hit the ground, hard enough shake the floor. Silence fell over everyone like a tidal wave.

     On closer inspection, it wasn’t really a lion at all, Sora noticed. It was three times as big, bigger than Riku in his wolf form even, with wings like a bat, leathery and jagged. Several rows of razor sharp teeth lined the mouth of a human face. Almost human, anyway. Like a man had been cursed and turned into a lion, but his face had gotten stuck halfway in between human and monster, with sunken in eyes and a wide, flat nose. Its tail was that of a scorpion, and the monster lashed it angrily. Back and forth, back and forth like a pendulum. Like it was enticing you to come closer. But one look at the thing’s ghastly face would drive some of the bravest solidest away.

     Which is exactly what it did. These men who called themselves warriors, and armed soldiers who thought themselves invincible fled from the scene the moment the beast lifted its head to roar. It was possible that the thunder Sora had thought he’d heard earlier was actually the roar of this creature, for it was loud enough to bring some of the closer men to their knees. After that was all chaos. People scattered in every direction like cockroaches. The lion sprang into action, shredding the grass and dirt with the speed that he used to target his first victim. Shrieking filled the sky and weapons and torches were dropped. Most of them did little damage because of the cold rain that had been beating on them for hours now, but there were a few that managed to light the brush surrounding the wall.

     Sora charged toward the creature with a renewed determination, coming up to intercept the monster from his prey, but he never made it. Before he could get close enough, a large mass of silver fur barreled into his side and crushed him against the ground. When his vision stopped spinning, Sora tried to catch his breath, but he could even inhale under the weight on his chest. The weight of one very large paw. Continuously finding himself in these circumstances was beginning to grow tiresome.

     Riku leaned in close to Sora’s face, his sharp teeth barred and a growl rumbling low in his throat. He was more vicious than the other times Sora had seen him, his claws digging deep into the boy’s skin. Usually his words were harsh but his actions were gentle. All except for that little incident by the riverbank last week. It reminded Sora of the way an animal starts to lash out when he felt cornered, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was cornering Riku.

     **_Stay away from this fight, Hero! I won’t tolerate you interfering a second time! The Manticore is mine!_**

     A Manticore, so that’s what that horrible thing was called. No way was Sora going to leave Riku to battle that all by himself. The Hero gripped the paw that held him captive and used that leverage to toss Riku off him. He hit the ground on his side with a ‘thwack’ that made Sora feel instantly guilty. But there wasn’t time for that.

     “You’re as crazy as they all say you are, aren’t you!” he shouted accusingly. “You’d rather complete a mission than help these people? Well I’m not like that! I’m here to protect his city, whether you tell me to or not!”

     The growl in Riku’s voice bubbled up and morphed into an angry snarl that ripped from his throat. The hound jumped back to his feet and lunged at Sora. He was mid-spring when a pair of black hooves cracked against the hound’s skull and sent him sprawling back into the mud.

     Sora’s eyes widened, and he tried to move forward to go to Riku’s side, but a tug on the shoulder of his sleeve brought his attention back up to his rescuer. Phil still sat astride Pegasus’ back, clinging to the stallion’s mane. He extended his hand to the Hero. “Come on, Sor, we gotta go! That thing loose in the city!”

     Right, the Manticore. Somehow, it had been strong enough to break past the wooden doors of the gate, and they hung limply on the hinges. He only spared a half second glance at Riku, who was struggling to get his legs back under him after that blow to the head, before accepting Phil’s hand and hauling himself up onto the horses back. He’d make sure Riku was okay after he saved the city from the demon’s negligence.

     At Sora’s command, Pegasus raced past the broken gates after the creature. He wasn’t hard to find; in his wake the Manticore left all kinds of ruin, from small fires, to broken house. Arrows littered the ground, but without any evidence of blood, Sora imagined no one had managed to land a shot.

     The Manticore’s thunderous roar drew his attention east. There, a few buildings down from the temple doors, the beast was terrorizing a group of locals. One very brave, or possibly very stupid child threw a rock at the creature. It bounced harmlessly off it’s back, but the Manticore did not like that. His barbed tail curled up high and his back arched. When he struck the ground with it, debris flew and the child jumped back, screaming in terror and tripping over himself trying to escape.

     “Hey!” Sora cupped his hands over his mouth to allow his voice to travel farther through the roar of the rain. “Leave him alone!” When he raised his sword high, Pegasus charged and the lion turned to meet his new opponent head on. Sora got close enough to swing, but his sword only grazed the beasts shoulder. Blood dribbled over the Manticores golden fur and the creature snarled, lashing out with a clawed paw and ripping the rider from his horse.

     Pegasus was thrown to the side like a doll, and Phil, being unfortunate enough to have maintained his grip on the horse’s mane, went with him. Sora found himself on his back, half dazed, and looking up into the dark eyes of the monster above him. The Manticore’s tail curled again, and its lip pulled back into a feral grin.

     Metal clashed against the hard shell of the beasts’ tail when he struck. Sora clutched at the hilt of his sword, his muscles straining with the force he used to keep the Manticore at bay. He was forced to brace one hand against the flat of his blade and use what little leverage that gave him to toss the creature off, the edge of the weapon biting into his palm.

     The Manticore tumbled to the side, falling face first into the dirt, but for all the Hero’s strength, his opponent was faster. He used his long wings to push him off the ground, whipping back around and prepared to strike again. Sora narrowly avoided the collisions by rolling over onto his side and shielding his face from the dirt and rock that flew. Growing increasingly frustrated with the human’s evasions, the Manticore roared. Pebbles rocked and the ground vibrated, and Sora clamped his hands over his ears, his eyes clenched shut tight, trying to block out the thundering noise. The stench of the monster’s rotting breath made the hair on Sora’s arms and neck stand on end. Stars danced behind his eyelids, threatening to plunge him into unconsciousness.

     His roar was cut short, breaking off into a high-pitched cry of pain, and when Sora dared open his eyes, the beast had staggered back several steps, a barbed arrow, dipping with something black and awful, protruding from one of his wings. The same as the kind that had been meant for his skull only a week ago.

     “Get up, Hero! And get out of my way!”

     Sora heeded only the first of the orders, jumping to his feet and putting a good distance between himself and the Manticore. He already knew it was Riku who had landed the shot without even looking. The man marched toward them both in all his furry, blood dripping over one eye from the gash Pegasus had inflicted to his head, and an angry bow clenched in his hand.

     Sora shook his head. “If you won’t protect these people, I will! I actually care about their lives! You just have an agenda!”

     Riku growled and his eyes narrowed. When Sora moved back in to engage the Manticore, he lifted one hand and aimed it between both of his enemies. His blazing sea green eyes shimmered with an ethereal glow and the wind whipped his silver hair around his face. _“Break!”_

     The Hero was able to prepare himself this time for the large rent that ripped the earth open, and he skidded to a halt before he let himself fall in. What he wasn’t prepared for though, was the force that Riku used to throw him back. He was grateful that the man was only carrying his bow. Had it been a sword in the hand Riku swung, wielding it like a club and cracking it into his side, he would have definitely been cut in two. Instead, he was only tossed back like a rag doll. The floor was ripped out from under his feet, and when rocky ground caught his fall, he was left breathless and bruised, his ribs screaming like they had been broken. They probably had.

     “H-hey!” The Hero pushed himself up onto his elbows, groaning with the effort it cost him. “What are you doing!”

     Riku had turned his back on him and now advanced towards the beast. The bow in his hand vanished, replaced in and instant with a golden whip that seemed to uncurl itself from around the demon’s forearm. The Manticore screeched at the hound, and Riku struck him. When the whip coiled around the monster’s neck, Riku started to pull. There was a tense few moments between the two, the whip pulled taunt, before the monster crumpled to the ground. Sora did his best to ignore the screaming pain in his side and rushed forward, using the lion’s temporary distraction to attack again. Only, seeing the Hero push past his side to charge at the Manticore he’d claimed for himself, Riku’s grip must have slipped.

     The Manticore ripped the weapon from Riku’s hands and shook it off. One massive lions paw swung and claws raked over Riku’s shoulder and side; his blood, a dark red, splattered the ground at his feet. The man collapsed into the mud, his vision blurring, just in time to see Sora shred through one of the Manticore’s wings with his blade.

     The Hero danced out of the way when the monster shrieked and struck, then roared and struck again. But before Sora could add a second blow, he was forced to dodge an attack from behind. Riku, bloody and weaponless now, gripped Sora by the wrist and rammed his knee into the boy’s abdomen. The hit knocked the wind from Sora, and before he could recover, his sword was knocked from his grasp with a sharp blow to his arm.

     Riku let him go, but when Sora looked up, he was still advancing on him. Riku teetered towards him uncertainly, looking like he might collapse again, and for all the world Sora couldn’t figure out what kept him going. His father had been right when he said that Riku would rather die than lose.

     “Why couldn’t you learn your lesson the first time, Hero!? Why couldn’t you just keep out of the way, crawl back under that little rock you were raised under, and leave the spirit world alone?!” Riku spat at the boy, clenching his hands at his sides.

     Sora stepped back, looking around for anything he could use to defend himself with. But at this point, he wasn’t sure how much fight Riku had left in him. Was he still as fast as before? As accurate in his aim? Could he shift into his hellhound form like this? Was he desperate enough to rip Sora to shreds?

     “Don’t you get it yet!” Riku still shouted at him, but his words were nearly lost with the wind picking up. Distantly, Sora could hear people shouting, rushing to evacuate probably, or to control the damage that the Manticore had spread throughout the city. “I could have killed you a thousand times over by now if I’d wanted!”

     “Then why didn’t you?!” Sora screamed back. “Why haven’t you just killed me yet if it was so easy?!”

     “I didn’t want to! I didn’t want to hurt any-!” he broke off with a gasp. Protruding from his back stuck three long, needle-like barbs, slicked with a green oily substance. Riku whipped around to face the Manticore, who’s tail was raised dangerously. Dozens of spiked barbs protruding from the beasts’ tail were raised up like a porcupine’s. The man lunged, but instead of attacking he tackled Sora to the ground again, in time for their opponent to launch more of the dangerous projectiles at them.

     Sora gasped, expecting to have Riku’s hound teeth at his throat the moment his back struck the ground. Instead though, the demon sat crouched close to the ground with Sora’s head cradled protectively to his chest. The man’s breathing was ragged and strained, and this close Sora could hear the way his heart was racing. Or sputtering, more like. When he backed away and staggered to his feet, Riku left Sora laying in the dirt, stunned, with blood smearing his cheek and clothes.

     Reaching behind him, Riku gripped the venomous needles and ripped them from his skin with a small cry. Through his clothes, the invisible runes marking his body began to glow. The one on his chest, the one that was always visible and took the form of a scar, burned the brightest for a second, and a long bat wing shaped sword formed in the palm of the man’s hand. His voice was horse when he spoke again. “If you want to live to see your real family someday, Hero, I suggest you let me be the one to die here.”

~~~

     “D-do you see them yet?” Panic skittered around behind Pain’s back, chewing at the tips of his claws with nervousness. “Can you see yet??”

     “No, the lion thingy is still in the way. I told you we should have picked the temple roof. It’s taller!” Pain snapped back at his companion.

     “Taller and closer to being-” the imp choked on the word, “-e-e-eaten.”

     “Quit being such a pansy!” Pain thrust the sticky eyeball that Xemnas had charged them with into his quivering friend’s hands. “Here. You take it, and get up on my shoulders. Then we’ll be able to see.”

     Panic grumbled, holding the eye out at arm’s length, and using the little horns on Pain’s head as leverage to climb onto the other imp’s back. After some scuffling and grunting, Panic managed to get into a precarious position on his friend’s shoulders. Both of them teetered every time the wind blew, but for now, with Panic raising the eyeball in one hand up as high as he could get, it was the perfect spot to look down at the fighting below.

     Riku and the Hero were still arguing, stupidly not paying attention to the real enemy behind them, when the eye began to glow. Pain gagged when it moved in his hands, shifting around to survey the surroundings and to keep track of the fight down below. When Riku shoved Sora out of harms’ way, thunder cracked. Real thunder, not the Manticore’s imitation.

     “Ohhhh.” Panic fidgeted atop Pain’s head. “Lord Xemnas is not going to be happy.”

~~~

     Riku and Sora exchanged blows again. Every time one of them got close enough to inflict damage on the Manticore, the other interrupted. Mostly though, it was Sora who was trying to inflict all the damage. For some absurd reason, Riku was doing everything in his power to keep the monster alive and for himself. At the same time, however, the Hero was struggling to fight Riku head on again.  The demon hovered between trying to kill him, and saving his life so fast that it made Sora’s head spin.

     And then there was the sword. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. It radiated with darkness, but where Riku’s other weapons had all been awful, dead things, this one felt alive. Like it was a part of Riku in a way that none of the others were. He didn’t know how dangerous it was, but his good senses screamed at him to stay far away.

     Riku seemed to be losing his will to keep going, that much was clear. He flipped back and forth from trying to take the Manticore down, to trying to stop Sora from killing it, to trying to stop it from killing Sora, and trying to keep moving with the beast’s poison coursing through his veins, all at once. I was clearly taking its toll.

     So, it was now with mixed emotions that Sora swung at the monster. He’d gotten close before, to piercing its heart, but each and every time, Riku interfered. Now though, with Riku’s energy dwindling out, he had a chance. Riku stood between them but he was moving less and less, dodging and attacking without taking more than a few steps. With Riku keeping the beast distracted, Sora charged again coming from the side in the Manticore’s blind spot.

     He was so close. Right foot in front of the other, only a few more feet and then he’d be able to slip under it’s massive head and have a straight shot at its chest. Riku was too far away now to stop him. In fact, the hero was inches away before Riku even noticed.

     When he did, though, his green eyes went wide and his skin drained of what color it had left. Unlike Sora, he’d come into this battle with knowledge about his opponent. He’s had time to study on the Manticore’s strengths and weaknesses, and while the monster couldn’t see any further than a man with his human-like eyes, he had the hearing of the great jungle beast he resembled.

     “ ** _Sora! Stop!”_**

     Sora staggered to a halt. During the times when Riku consented to speaking to him, he did so usually either out loud or in his head, but this was the first time he’d done both together. It was dizzying. But the warning still came too late. Faster than Sora’s eyes could follow, the Manticore whipped around and roared again in Sora’s face. The deafening noise so close was enough to knock the Hero over and onto his back. He wasn’t sure when he lost the sword in his hand, but he heard it skittering away.

     His head was spinning so much that he didn’t notice when the roaring stopped. He didn’t notice when Riku crossed the distance between them. He only looked up when the Manticore screeched.

     Blood spilled from the wound in its side where Riku plunged his blade between its ribs. It splattered the demon’s skin when he ripped it back and the Manticore frantically clambered to get away. It threw its massive body at houses, tore through the streets in circles, and screamed at the sky like it was dying.

     When Sora tore his eyes away from the spectacle and looked back up, Riku was holding out one trembling hand. Hesitantly, not sure how Riku could hold _himself_ up at this point, Sora reached out to accept it. But their fingers only brushed when Riku’s eyes widened.

     The man ripped his hand back, crying out in pain. The brand on his chest shimmered under his chiton, but instead of the usual purple, now it was etched in black. Riku stumbled back desperately, like he was trying to put as much distance between himself and Sora as he could.

     **_You traitorous little bastard! Did you really think you could keep your pet Hero hidden from me forever?_**

Riku groaned and clamped his hands over his ears, clenching his eyes shut tight. “I-i’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I wasn’t trying to-”

     **_I ordered you to kill him! You knew_ exactly _who he was, didn’t you?! Did you think the almighty Cloud would set you free if you spared him?_**

     Riku didn’t dare open his eyes. He knew what he’d find; he could already feel it under his feet, seeping into the dirt like ice during the cold of winter. Sprawling out over the earth, the runes he’d grown to know so well etched into the floor. Sora was calling his name, asking him what was happening, but his voice sounded like it was worlds away. Xemnas, even, was but a background noise to the horrible panic that threatened to claw it’s way up from the recesses of his heart where he’d buried it. “I didn’t-”

     A scream tore from his throat before he could finish and he fell to his hands and knees. Under his palms Riku could feel the glowing runes burning his skin like frostbite, but when he tried to open his eyes, everything was black. Searing pulses off pain shot through his skin, and he could no longer hear his own voice. Only the one in his head, so powerful he could hardly breathe. That and the snake-like snickering from the corner of his mind where the darkness coiled.

     **_Cloud is not your master, mongrel. I am! Pick up your sword. Get back on your feet. And plunge it into his throat!_**

     Against his will, Riku’s legs started to move. His vision started to clear in front of him and Sora slowly came back into view. The Hero was on knees at the edge of the rune circle surrounding him. His mouth was moving, he appeared to be shouting, but the sound made it to Riku’s ears like it was traveling through water. All he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears, and the raspy gasps he made when he tried to breathe, the paralyzing Manticore venom finally reaching his lungs.

     He couldn’t feel the weight of his sword suddenly back in his hand, couldn’t feel his legs propelling him forward. He couldn’t hear Sora’s shouting pleas when he pressed the tip of his bat wing blade into the hollow of Sora’s throat. It was only the drop of blood that slid over Sora’s skin that made him tense. His muscles screamed in protest, and his hands trembled, but he held steady.

     “Riku?” Riku gasped when Sora’s hand brushed his cheek, his voice ringing clear. His skin was warm and his fingers calloused, and though the light from his hand stung, it was almost a welcome relief to feel something that was real. “Riku, I know you’re still in there. The _real_ you. Riku? Can you hear me?”

     **_Do it! Do it, you insolent little-!_**

     “Sora?” Riku’s voice was strained and he spoke through clenched teeth. “P-please…Please kill me.”

     Sora swallowed hard and shook his head as much as the sword to his throat would allow. “No, I won’t-”

     “Please!” The man’s voice started to crack, and he clenched his eyes tight again. Anything to block out the pained look in the Hero’s eyes. He’d seen it before, when Cloud had thought to rescue him from Xemnas’ grasp. He wouldn’t let himself fall for that again. “It would only be temporary, but you’d have time to get away-”

     “NO! I won’t!” Sora reached up and curled his fingers around the edge of Riku’s sword, pushing back against it. “I know you won’t hurt me.”

     To the side of the pair the Manticore, losing sense of his whereabouts, screeched. Riku remained frozen as a statue, but his eyes flickered nervously to the monster who wandered back their way. Taking advantage of his distraction, Sora slipped out from under the man’s blade and used the full force of his body to shove Riku to the ground. It didn’t take much; the demon’s eyes slipped closed, his breathing shallowed, and his body stopped fighting the exhaustion.

     The Hero scoured the ground, searching for his sword, for he didn’t dare touch Riku’s. But it had been thrown a good distance away. In theory, he could still probably reach it, but not without leaving Riku defenseless in the mud.

     Sora stood his ground, stepping in front of Riku protectively. He’d defeated the Shade without a sword. It had only been used to channel his light magic. He could do it again without that.

     The Manticore was approaching fast, only fifteen yards between them. Then ten. Eight. Sora rushed to meet him at five. His skin felt warm and tingly and the sensation spread from his chest to his fingers. The moment the heavy weight of a sword settled in his palm, he cried and thrust his hands forward.

     The light that encompassed them was blinding, so much so that even on the ground, with his eyes closed, Riku still whimpered quietly and curled in on himself just a little tighter. Sora’s battle cry drifted over to him hazily, nearly drowned out by the dying cries of the Manticore. When it was over, for the first time that night, the whole city was silent.

~~~

     Sora gulped in heavy breaths of air, almost like a drowning man. He didn’t really remember that last three minutes of what happened. He was currently sitting in the mud, and the large, ferocious Manticore lay in a heap of fur and wings at his feet. In his hand was a sword, but it wasn’t his that he knew of. It was oddly shaped like that of a large key, radiating a golden glow, and balanced perfectly in his palm. In his numb state, he couldn’t figure out where it had come from or how something shaped like a key could cut so sharp.

     Partially coming back to his senses, the Hero spun around, letting the sword slip from his fingers. Once it hit the dirt, it disappeared with a golden flash. But Sora didn’t have time to let that bother him.

     “Riku?” Maybe he was confused, but he could have sworn that when he’d left the demon, he’d been right behind him and was slipping into unconsciousness. He shouldn’t have been able to move by now, but somehow, by the will of the gods, he was gone.

     Sora cursed at himself. During the chaos of the fight, he’d also neglected to track down Pegasus and Phil. Though, they were probably only knocked out from when they had been thrown from earlier, and Riku might only be clinging to life by a thread. There was also the matter of the tracks that lead to the temple. The started out human but quickly morphed into large dog prints that where being drug through the mud. He’d have to start there and come back for his friends when he could guarantee Riku’s safety.

     The doors of the temple where already cracked open when Sora pushed against them. They were slicked with rain and cold under his palms. But even in the darkness he could see the red staining his fingers when he pulled back. On closer inspection, there were also crimson paw prints smudged across the tile floor.

     “Riku?” Tentatively the Hero eased the door open completely. The room was dark and silent. Well, nearly silent. Faintly, from the corner of the room, was the sound of water splashing against the stone tiles. “Riku, I know you’re in here. Let me help you.”

     When the man didn’t answer, Sora headed for the wall and the nearest torch. Lighting it only illuminated a small circle around him, but it was enough to catch the gleam of Riku’s silver hair. He was crouched low over the side of the water basin, breathing hard, and using the ladle to splash the holy water onto his back, where he’d ripped his shredded shirt away. It hissed when it connected with the punctures in his shoulder, where the wound had turned black and the veins extending from it green.

     Sora inched closer carefully, trying his best not to startle the man. Riku looked up with a glare before he could take more than two steps. “Stay over there,” he demanded.

     “I can help, if you’ll just tell me what to do!” There was a desperate edge to Sora’s voice, he heard it himself, but was past the point of caring.

     Riku, oddly calm, just shook his head. “Stay over there. You don’t want to touch it; it spreads through contact.”

     “But then what are you going to do??”

     Riku opened his mouth, but the reply never came. In an instant, the other dozen torches in the room flared to life, illuminating every corner and making Riku wince. A sudden gust ruffled Sora’s hair and the door snapped closed behind them. The Hero whirled, expecting the priests, Riku’s master, the soldiers come looking for him; everyone except the four beings in front of him. They were familiar, in a vague sort of way, but he couldn’t pin why. Their bodies emitted a golden glow, the same way his father did, and their red robes shimmered.

     The one Sora presumed to be the leader stepped forward. “Riku Caelum.” His face, like the others, was covered by the hood of his cloak, and his voice held the authority of commander of war. Riku made no move to run, or to speak. He only stared and waited, but his tired eyes gave him away, like he knew what they were here for. “You are under arrest for the endangerment of human lives, aligning yourself with dark forces, and the gathering of rebellious conspirators against the High Twelve. Young Hero, please step aside.”

     Sora stammered, not sure where to start first. Who were these people, where did they come from, what were they going to do with Riku, was everything they accused him of true? “W-wait… Riku he… He’s badly hurt! I can’t let you take him, not until I-”

     “Hero,” Riku rasped out, and Sora turned to meet his gaze. “Don’t stop them.”

     “But you-”

     “Do not interfere, Hero.” The red hooded man pushed his was past Sora, and his silent entourage followed closely behind, circling Riku and trapping him against the wall; not that the man put up a fight. The flames in the room began to flicker, like there was a draft, even though the room was perfectly still. The glowing aura these men brought with them intensified until Sora was forced to shield his eyes.

     “Riku! Wait!” Blindly, Sora rushed at the light, grasping desperately for Riku’s arm. He thought for a second that he felt the man’s skin under his fingertips, but when he stumbled and his knees hit the floor, there was no one. The room was empty but for himself and the two little blue and pink birds that had apparently made their homes in the rafters.

     Sora lifted his hands to his face, searching intently in his palms for what should have been in his grasp, like if he stared hard enough, Riku would appear. But he didn’t. The cry that ripped from his throat echoed off the ceiling. Both fists clenched tight, he smashed them into the tile, shattering it.

     A rumble vibrated throughout the room and a crack inched it’s way up the high stone wall. He heard the wash basin split, and felt the water soaking his knees, but all he could focus on was the bloody footprints being washed away. Like no one had even been there to leave them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By golly, if this chapter didn't take me a millennium! How ya'll doing? So sorry this took so much longer than I intended. Work and school are hard, and I was involved in a friends wedding that consumed my life for a good couple months. But all of that behind us, hopefully we can move this thing back on track! Hope you guys like it, drop me a comment if you do! They always give me life!

                Several pairs of rough hands guided Riku down what he could only assume was a hallway. He could only assume it because the burlap sack that had been harshly flung over his head left a lot to the imagination. But in all fairness, it wasn’t entirely the guards fault for being so aggressive with him; he wasn’t making their lives any easier either. At this stage in the Manticore venom’s progression, every breath was a painful struggle, of which he took few, and with every step he felt his limbs growing numb, forcing his captors to drag him the rest of the way. Two of these men would have sufficed to bring him down, four was simply overkill considering the pitiful state he was in.

                “Stop.”

                Riku stopped. Or was stopped. Who was being spoken to, him or his escorts? A resounding clack signified the opening of a set of heavy double doors and confirmed his suspicions that they were in fact inside, and from there he didn’t need to guess anymore. He’d visited the Chamber of Twelve often enough to recognize the scattered murmurs and echoing whispers anywhere, though he was usually here as Xemnas’ bootlicker, not a man on trial.

                “Riku Caelum, step forward.”

                He tried to obey. He truly did. But as it was, the men gripping him by the biceps were holding up more of his own weight than he was. Some of the whispers intensified, some snickered, the guards on each arm grunted with annoyance and drug him forward. A small spark of irritation made Riku clench his teeth. How he had the strength left to be irritated, he didn’t know, seeing as he was fairly certain his night had gone much worse than theirs had.

                Without warning, the hands supporting him disappeared. Riku felt his knees give way and smash into the marble floor with a clack. Then the same hand that had guided him there ripped the bag from his head, taking strands of his hair with it. The light was blinding. He normally didn’t mind light that much; being half human it was always something that he was accustomed to. But ever since Xemnas had changed him he could feel it scorching his skin in moments like these, when his body was too weak to fight back, burning him from the inside out.

                Gasps spread throughout the room and Riku ducked his head down. He should have never left his shirt and cloak back at the temple. If the guards had even left the sack on his head, he might not feel so vulnerable. Through blurry vision, he could make out the figures of the gods standing in a semi-circle around him, but couldn’t focus on them for more than a second before their glowing auras made his eyes water.

                “Riku?”

                That voice did make him look up, however. He knew Cloud better than he knew most of the others, Xemnas excluded. Blinking away the fog from his vision, Riku held Cloud’s gaze as long as he could, and immediately regretted it. Gods, did Sora look like him, right down to big blue eyes, honey wheat skin, and the same confused and disappointed scowl.

                “What’s going on here?” Cloud stepped in front of Riku and turned to address to soldiers that had drug him in. “Why is he in chains? He’s bleeding all over the floor, he needs a healer! What business do you have bringing Xemnas’ ward here?”

                Ward, huh? Cloud always did have a way of sugar coating things. The guards behind him snapped to attention and one of them came forward, dropping their heads in a low bow. “Lord Cloud, we bring him here on orders from the Fates. He has caused mayhem and destruction on the ground, endangering the lives of hundreds of mortals. He is also-”

                “He is also suspected of gathering an army against you, my Lord.”

                Heads swung to investigate the intrusion. The guards themselves seemed startled but quickly parted to allow the three in. The Fates looked almost identical, like what you would expect from triplets and not just sisters. However, there were a few differences used to tell them apart. The three of them were all old and weathered women, wearing tattered robes that were once white, but now a dusty grey with age. Likewise, their skin nearly matched their robes in complexion, almost as if they wore a coat of ash. They were each blind, having only one eye among them, but the sister who held the eye was never the same as the last time.

                Clotho, the youngest, wore her wiry black hair down around her shoulders, and donned an empty spindle on a cord around her neck. Lachesis, the middle sister, was a bit taller than the others, and kept her grey hair pulled up in a frazzled bun at the back of her head. She walked tall for an old hag, with a staff clutched tight in her deathly grip. Atropos, the eldest, kept her hood up tight over her head, so that you could only see bits of her white hair poking out around her face. Her back was arched, and dangling from the belt at her waist, a sundial swung.

                Lachesis led the others forward and Riku felt them stop behind his back. He couldn’t meet Cloud’s gaze again, so instead he focused his energy on the gods’ shoes and on not passing out. Cloud looked between the three sisters in astonishment and back down at the man on his knees in front of him. “That’s impossible. Riku has always been loyal to the gods.”

                “His loyalty is extended only to Xemnas, not to you and the others.” Clotho pointed a boney finger around the room to gesture to the group. “And even that has been proven questionable.”

                “Cloud.” Another stepped away from the group, to approach Riku and the god. He was tall and brooding, with light skin, soft spiky brown hair and blue eyes to match his brothers. A long, diagonal scar marred his face, cutting down from his right eyebrow, over his nose, and onto his left cheek. Riku shrank when he approached. Of all the gods, Leon was the one he understood the least. The others he knew had clearly distinct opinions about him; some of them hated Xemnas and him by default. Some didn’t seem to mind when he was around but grew a nervous if he overstayed his welcome. Leon, however, was hard to read. He was expressive with his family and friends, but the moment Riku showed up, he went blank as a sheet, like he was trying to dissect Riku’s every action.

                Cloud leaned his head close to his older brother when Leon lowered his voice. “He needs a healer. Whatever happened down there, if he doesn’t get help soon, he’ll die before he gets a chance to talk, and then we’ll have to wait until Xemnas resurrects him.”

                Cloud shook his head. “We don’t have anyone here that knows how to help his kind. Our light is too strong, it would just cause him more pain. Xemnas has to do it.”

                Leon turned. “Demyx, where is Xemnas? He’s responsible for Riku, we need him here.”

                Demyx ducked his head sheepishly. He wasn’t a particularly tall man, but he was thin, with sandy blond hair that was longer in the back than it was in the front, and a glowing tan to match his laid back attitude. Usually he was all smiles and excitement, but under the circumstances, he seemed subdued. “I sent him the same summons that I sent everyone else. He should be here by now.”

                “There’s no time to wait for him.” Atropos interrupted, her voice raspy and snappish. “This half-breed has been nothing but trouble since the day Xemnas wrongfully extended his immortality to him! Every day he goes against the destinies that we have already set for mortal lives. Every day he threatens to rebel against you and yours. If Xemnas can’t control his dog, then maybe it’s time he was put down.”

                “This is ridiculous.”

                Riku peeked over his shoulder, looking for the voice that had spoken. He’d thought he recognized it, though it was highly unlikely that Roxas was standing up for him. But low and behold, there he stood. Befreckled, his blue eyes blazing angrily and blond hair swept upward. Axel stood behind him, dark skinned, all legs, and fiery red hair.

                “Ridiculous? You think the unjust massacre of hundreds of lives over the last two centuries is ridiculous, do you boy?” Clotho swung Roxas’ way, like she was glaring at him, but her sightless, empty eyes remained shut.

                “I think it’s ridiculous that you drug Riku to us, half dead, and bound in chains, instead of Xemnas who should be in his place.” Roxas spat at her. “Everyone knows Riku doesn’t take a piss without his master’s approval.”

                Axel reached out to touch Roxas’ arm, like to prevent him from saying something he might regret. But if he thought that Roxas’ temper could be detained once he’d gotten started, he’d thought wrong. “If you think Riku is slaughtering innocent mortals, maybe you should be asking them man who ordered him to what the hell he’s thinking. Or, if you’re really stupid enough to think that Riku is gathering an army of demons to overthrow the gods, maybe you should-”

                “Roxas! That’s enough!” Cloud raised a hand to shush the outbursts that spread throughout the room.

                Another clang from the doors swinging shut made Riku shudder, clenching his eyes shut. It wouldn’t be enough, though. The cold dread that settled over him grew worse with each step closer his master took. “Yes Roxas, I think that’s quite enough from you. That nasty attitude of yours really is going to get you in a lot of trouble someday.”

                The silence was overwhelming, making the clack of Xemnas’ shoes audible to every person in the room. Riku dared only to peek up enough to see the man’s feet stop side by side with Cloud’s.

                “Gods, look at you,” the lord of death scoffed at Riku disapprovingly. “You’re an absolute disgrace.”

                “Xemnas. You were called here an hour ago,” Cloud chided.

                The silver haired man only waved him off. “I’m a busy man, little brother, something you wouldn’t understand. Now what is it Riku’s done that’s got you all in a fit? That is, besides showing his face here in his deplorable state.”

                Lachesis straightened. “This very night, your abomination went to Thebes, wreaking havoc, endangering human lives, preventing a Hero of the gods from doing his celestial duty and-!”

                “Very well, very well.” Xemnas interrupted with an air of annoyance. “You’ll want him punished then, I suppose?”

                Riku inhaled sharply when Xemnas seized a clump of his hair and ripped him up from the ground. His vision temporarily blackened while he struggled to get his legs back under him, but to no avail; he could only hang there limply when Xemnas swung him around to face the Fates.

                “What do you want me to do with him then, hm? I could have him whipped if you like. I can put him on a raft and sail him down the burning river Phlegethon. Or why don’t you all just let me take him back to the Underworld with me, and I’ll deal with him there myself.” The man gripped Riku by the chin with his free hand, glaring down at him threateningly.

                “Put him down, Xemnas.” Leon was stern and level, not betraying so much as a hint of emotion. “Fix him up, and then we can talk about this like civilized people.”

                “Or maybe I’ll just hand him over to you, Roxas,” the god continued like he hadn’t heard a word. “After what he did to your little oracle friend, I’m sure you could think up plenty of fitting punishments, couldn’t you?”

                Were it not for Axel still standing there, holding young god back, Roxas may have leaped at Xemnas’ throat. He opened his mouth to snap back at the man, but Axel quickly pulled him into his side, whispering soothingly into the blond’s ear.

                “Xemnas.” Cloud’s voice echoed off the high domed ceiling. “Do what Leon says. Put Riku down,” he demanded.

                An eerie sneer played at the corners of Xemnas’ mouth. “Whatever you say, little brother. You take him then.” Ruthlessly, Xemnas hurled Riku to the floor. Blood left scarlet streaks across the marble where he slid, stopping only when he bumped against Cloud’s legs. “Perhaps the Fates are right; I’ve given him too long a leash. Attempting to murder a gods’ kin is considered treasonous, after all. Put him to death, if it pleases you. In fact, do it as many times as you like. I warn you though, when his mind starts to unravel he’s much harder to control.”

                Cloud’s eyes widened in shock and he stepped back when Riku landed at his feet, but his expression soon morphed into that of outrage, and then confusion. Before he could ask, however, questions started to bubble up around the room. Each person looked just as puzzled as their neighbor, but no one more so than Tifa.

                The goddess stepped up to her husband’s side, rested a hand on Cloud’s shoulder, and raised her palm to silence the crowd. As a hush fell over the group, Xemnas only grew smugger. “What are you talking about, Xemnas?” Tifa challenged. “Enough of your riddles, what happened down there?”

                “Why, Tifa, I thought you of all people would be the first to know about it,” Xemnas crooned at her mockingly. “Isn’t a mother supposed to sense when her child is in danger? Riku here made an attempt on your boy’s life tonight, while you were peacefully enjoying your supper. He would have slit open his throat and let his blood water the grass if I hadn’t intervened.”

                “How dare you?” Terra snarled at Xemnas from the side. Terra was tall and muscular, with brown hair that closely resembled Leon’s except for his bangs being pushed back away from his face. “This is no place to joke about Sora. His death and disappearance were tragic and this kind of mockery is completely-!”

                “Oh, but Terra, young Sora isn’t dead.” The stunned silence from the room seemed to encourage Xemnas, and he turned to Cloud in mocking astonishment. “Why, Cloud, Tifa, didn’t you tell any of them? Sora is alive and well, and after tonight that is only thanks to me. I thought you would have been celebrating this fantastic news!”

                Leon looked at his younger brother with something akin to hurt coloring his eyes. “Cloud? Is that true? You found him?”

                The tension that built in the room was suffocating in the time it took Cloud to answer. When he did, he was hesitant choosing his words carefully. “Yes, recently we… discovered the location of Sora’s whereabouts. It seems he’s been adopted into a mortal family who’ve been taking care of him and is now fighting to become a True Hero.”

                “That’s amazing, Cloud!” A woman who spoke had light brown hair, curled into ringlets, and pulled back into a ponytail. She clasped her hands together excitedly. “I’m so glad he’s all right.”

                Cloud flashed her a gentle smile. “Thank you, Aerith.”

                “Is he all right?” Axel asked, narrowing his catlike green eyes at Xemnas.

                Xemnas lifted his shoulders, nonchalant, but like flipping a switch, he turned on Riku. The man aimed a sharp kick at Riku’s stomach, and the demon cried out in pain. “Get up, you miserable lout! Go on. Tell them what happened.”

                Aerith gasped, covering her mouth with her hand and taking a step forward, but Terra simply put his arm out to stop her and shook his head in warning.

                Riku braced his hands against the floor, coughing as he pushed himself up. Blood stained his lips and teeth, and it seemed to be all he could do just to get back up to his knees. When he looked up, his vision swam in front of him, seeing three of each person in the room. Cloud crossed his arms, looking down at him accusingly. “Riku. Is everything the Fates and Xemnas said true? Did you try to kill my son?”

                Riku looked between the two. He liked Cloud the most out of anyone. He didn’t want to ruin what little relationship they had. But the gleam in Xemnas’ molten amber eyes turned the blood in his veins to ice. He lowered his gaze again to the floor.

                “I… did. I-I tried to kill him.” The outrage that filled the room was almost enough to drown out Riku’s breathless confession. “He was… he was in my way. I d-didn’t know he was yours. He was insignificant.”

                “Well, there you have it, little brother.” Xemnas sounded much too cheerful, even more so at the darkening anger that slowly enveloped Cloud. “What should we do with the little maggot, hm?”

                Riku lowered his head, letting his eyes slip closed while Cloud deliberated. Cloud himself had an energy that was crackling off him like lightning. But Cloud had never been unjustly harsh with him before, which was more than he could say for anyone else. More than likely, the worst he would do would be to have him whipped in the courtyard.

                “Put him in the Silent Chamber.”

                Riku’s eyes snapped back up, widening with horror. Xemnas furrowed his brow, looking nearly disappointed. “Is that all? How boring. Well, if that’s all you wanted me here for, I’ll be going. Send for me when you release him, won’t you?”

Leon followed after the man when Xemnas started to walk away, pushing through the crowd to get to him before he could get away. “You can’t leave yet! You have to fix him first.”

                Xemnas stopped in his tracks, disgusted. “You’re putting him in the Silent Chamber, aren’t you? A room where time stops moving? He’ll be fine so long as he’s in there. I’ll fix him when you let him out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have more important business to attend to.”

                Leon looked as if he wanted to continue protesting, and he probably would have if Xemnas hadn’t made a hasty exit through the double doors, something resembling either fury or determination shadowing his expression. So, Leon let him leave and made his way back to his younger brother’s side. “Cloud, even if no one knows exactly how to do it, we have to at least try and help him before you cart him off to the Chamber. I, for one, don’t trust that Xemnas has told us the full truth.”

                Cloud glared at Leon and Riku in turn, silently pondering his brother’s words. Riku looked to be hardly breathing. His face was streaked with blood and dirt, his hair matted to the side of his neck, and his pupils blown to the size of a discus. The work of some sort of poison, no doubt. The Chamber would keep him alive, but barely. He wouldn’t worsen, but he wouldn’t be able to heal either. No amount of time passed there; everything was suspended and motionlessness. Xemnas was right, Riku would last until he was let out to be pieced back together again, but whether that was tomorrow or years later, it wouldn’t matter. Riku wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

                The god waved the sentries over. “Take him away.”

                They obeyed, snapping to attention, and uniformly gathering Riku once again by the arms to haul him off. One even took the time to throw the burlap sack back over his head, not that that was necessary any longer.

                A hand wrapped around Cloud’s elbow, stopping him from following. Leon’s brows had knit together in an aggravated fashion, his nails leaving little white half-moons in Cloud’s skin. “This isn’t like you, Cloud!” he growled.

                Cloud ripped his arm away, gritting his teeth was he spoke. “He tried to kill my son. My son, your  _nephew_! I’ve waited too long to get him back, I’m not letting Riku stand in my way. Or you, either.”

                Numbly, Leon watched him march out the doors after Riku and his escorts. Much as he loved his brother, the man was stubborn as a mule and he knew there’d be no reasoning with him once he’d gotten it into his head that someone was out to harm his family.

                In only a few strides, Cloud had caught up with the guards and followed them in silence down the twisty hallways of the palace. The place Riku would be spending the next few weeks was one of the most well kept secrets in Olympus. Only the High Twelve and a handful of trusted others even knew it existed, let alone its location. However, while the dungeons laid far below their feet, the Chamber was not nearly so hard to get to, hiding in plain sight. And truly there was no need to go looking for such a place either. Unless you were a demon or just a human who had a particular affinity for darkness, the room was nearly harmless. Unfortunately, Riku fell into both categories.

                Still, the going was slow. Riku was as limp, to the point that his knees scuffed the floor whenever they rounded a corner, almost as if he were boneless, or perhaps unconscious. Which he might have been, it was hard to tell. Finally, though, they came to a stop in front of an intricately carved wall, decorated heavily with symbols of stars and constellations. It was tucked neatly in the corner of the garden courtyard, but unless one was looking close, they would nearly miss the door that blended in with the stone walls surrounding it.

               Riku was released and grunted when he hit his knees, surprisingly still awake. With a nod of the head from Cloud, one sentry pulled the sack off Riku’s head and turned back to the door. He reached out, placing the palm of his hand against the stone, and the constellations etched into the rock lit up like the night sky.

                Swinging open, the room inside was blinding. You could only see a few steps past the doorway, after that was so bright that it faded into a blurry haze. And if you were really looking closely, you would notice that it wasn’t a room at all, exactly. The wall itself separated the courtyard from the palace grounds, but was not nearly deep enough to contain such a space inside it. The room was separate; otherworldly.

                Cloud glanced down and caught the sideways glare of Riku’s piercing sea green eyes burning a hole in him. It was eerie, a man with eyes that human that seared with the intensity of a demon. Unnatural.

                “Stop it,” Cloud snapped. “You have no one to blame for this but yourself.”

                Riku huffed. Probably unable to say anything else, Cloud thought. He had used up whatever strength and adrenaline fueled rage he had left earlier that night doing gods know what.

                “Keep… telling yourself that…” Came the man’s raspy reply. “Keep… telling yourself that I’m to blame. Sit up here in your palace in the sky… and pretend that you haven’t turned your back on the humans.”

                Snarling, Cloud reached down and ripped the demon up by the shoulder. “What do you know? You think you know what kind of decisions are made up here? You think you’d understand them? You’re here because of what you did, not me.”

                Riku gasped, scratching at Cloud’s hand in a feeble attempt to free himself. But without the strength left to fight the god off, he soon yielded. “I-I’m here because you and the rest of your kind let Xemnas run around destroying whoever’s lives he pleases, without consequence. I’m… here because you’d rather use me as a scapegoat… than face your brother. You’re all cowards.”

                Having had enough, Cloud shoved Riku forward through the door’s threshold. Light illuminated every corner of the seemingly endless dimension, shining from all directions without any specific source. Only a few steps past the doorway, Riku’s knees gave out and he crumpled, wrapping his arms around his chest like the wind had been knocked from him. His eyes squeezed shut, trying his hardest to block out some of the radiance. His body began to tremble, and he braced one hand on the floor to keep from falling over, but quickly retracted it with a hiss when it scorched his skin.

                “Seal it up,” Cloud said, turning his back on the Chamber and exiting the way they’d come. The guards obeyed, sliding the door back, the map of stars on its face twinkling out. A pained cry from inside was cut off by the stone clicking into place, but Cloud tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach it caused.

                “Will there be anything else tonight, Lord?” one of the guards asked.

                Cloud shook his head, stopping to rest his hand on an archway pillar. “No, that’ll be…”

                He trailed away, pulling his hand back from the sticky black substance that connected a stringy web from his hand to the arch, the stone sizzling.

                “Something wrong, Lord?” The guard called from behind him.

                Cloud shook his wrist to free himself from the mess and pulled his hand up to his face to inspect the oily liquid. It bubbled when he rubbed it between his fingers, and smelled strongly of tar.

                “Manticore venom…?”

~~~ 

                “I mean, really, can you believe him??”

                Axel lounged in the soft grass of the palace grounds, leaning against a shady tree, and watching with waning patience as Roxas paced angrily in front of him. Honestly, he was rather difficult to deal with when he got into these moods. It was nearly midday, and the man had been raving for hours. All the redhead wanted was a little time alone together, but one little comment (not even a comment, just a slip of the name really) had sent Roxas spiraling.

                And not for the first time in the last fortnight, either.

                “Who does Xemnas think he is, hm? Marching into the Chamber of Twelve like he owns the place, running his mouth, and then leaving us to clean up his mess. And did you hear what he said about Xion??”

                “Yes Roxas.” Axel slumped down lower on the tree stump, exasperated, so that only his head was being supported by one of the things massive roots. “I heard, both from him and, for the twentieth time, from you. Listen, why don’t you just forget about it? It was ages ago! And you never liked Riku anyway.”

                The blond shot an accusing glare at the man. “It wasn’t ‘ages ago’. It was days. And no, I don’t like him, but do you? How could anyone like a person like that? He’s a foul mouthed, good for nothing, hateful old gargoyle, with no family and no friends.”

                “So what’s the problem then? Did you want him punished, or didn’t you? You have to choose one or the other. Ugh!”

                Without warning, Roxas planted himself on Axel’s chest, sitting on him cross-legged like a floor rug. He jabbed a finger into the ball of Axel’s slender nose, staring him down with a withering steely eyed gaze. “I wanted him punished for the things he deserved, not for some made up nonsense to cover Xemnas’ ass.”

                Axel shifted underneath his husband, resigning himself to the fate of a lounge chair. “Made up? So you don’t think Sora is alive? Or you don’t think Riku tried to kill him? Because those both seem like very likely scenarios. Cloud even admitted that Sora had been found, and Riku admitted to having tried to rip his throat out.”

                Signing, Roxas absent mindedly started to draw little circles on Axel’s chest with his finger. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know. Everything feels wrong. Doesn’t everything feel wrong to you?”

                The redhead tilted his head back, gazing up though the filtered light shining through the leaves. It was such a beautiful day. It had been all week, and yet even the pleasant weather hadn’t been enough to pull Roxas out of this funk.

                “It does,” he finally admitted. “I won’t say that I approve of Cloud’s methods. He didn’t even look into what happened on the ground. It’s been years since he’s been so foolhardy. But Riku confessed. Unless you have some other kind of evidence, Riku will just have to serve his time until Cloud decides otherwise. Not like it really matters, he probably can’t tell the difference in time anyway.”

                “That doesn’t exactly make me feel better, punk.”

                Axel grinned, his teeth blindingly white against the deep olive brown of his skin. His emerald eyes glinted impishly and he pushed himself up letting Roxas slip down into his lap. “Or really? Well I think I might know what would make you feel better.”

                The blond snorted. “Oh yeah?”

                “Yeah.” Taking Roxas by the chin, Axel pulled the man in until their lips met. Roxas couldn’t help but grin against the kiss and at Axel’s impatience. It might not have been a solution, exactly, to the chaos that had surrounded them these last few weeks, but it was at least a good distraction. He loosely tossed his arms around his husband’s neck, and leaned in, happy to reciprocate. Leon might disapprove of their ever-public affections, but that hadn’t been enough to stop them thus far.

                “Hey, how about you two get a room!”

                If the shout, though teasing in nature, hadn’t been enough to startle them, a petite girl flopping down into the grass by Axel’s side definitely was. She was small, with short black hair and smooth mahogany skin; the exact opposite of Roxas.

                Roxas pulled out of Axel’s grip with a start, turning with full intent to tell the intruder off. However, his gaze softened when he met the warm chestnut eyes of his sister.

                “Dammit Yuffie!” Axel groaned with defeat. “I was this close,” he said, gesturing with his fingers pinched together.

                Yuffie laughed, tossing her head back. “Yeah, yeah, I saw exactly how close you two were. So can the rest of the courtyard.” She flashed them both a knowing wink.

                Roxas moved quickly out of his husband’s lap to sit in the grass between them. “What are you doing back so soon? I thought this hunt was supposed to last until the next full moon, but you’ve only been gone a month.”

                “It was supposed to be until the full moon, but then I got Demyx’s summons saying I ought to hurry back, so here I am.” Slipping her hand into the billowing sleeve of her olive green shift, she pulled out a rather small scroll, complete with Demyx’s emblem stamped wax seal. “Now, what’s all the fuss about?”

                The two men shared a glance, and a smirk spread over Axel’s face. “Yuffie, that was sent out days ago. You’re a little late”

                “Well, then I guess Demyx is losing his touch!” she huffed, indignant. “Are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to make me guess?”

                “That sounds like it would be rather amusing,” Axel teased, grunting when Roxas elbowed him in the side.

                “Actually,” Roxas started, “I’m a little surprised you haven’t heard yet. It’s been all anyone can talk about around here.”

                “Roxas included,” Axel tossed in.

                Ignoring him, the blond continued. “Sora, Cloud and Tifa’s boy was just found. He’s on the ground, trying to become a True Hero.”

                Yuffie’s dark eyes widened. “What? That’s amazing! How did they find him? Where’s he been hiding all this time? I he trying to get back to Olympus? How did Cloud find him?”

                “Easy shorty! One at a time!” Axel chuckled, ruffling the girl’s hair. In turn, Yuffie swatted at the hand, batting him away, but the redhead ignored this. “He’s been raised by a pair of mortals apparently, and now he’s trying to get back here. He might actually make it too, if Riku doesn’t slaughter him first.”

                Yuffie smile turned to an expression of concern. “Riku? He’s killed Hero’s in the past, but always under Xemnas’ orders. Why would he do that? Sora would be Xemnas’ nephew.”

                Sharing another look with Roxas, they both shrugged. It was Axel again who answered. “We’re not sure. Something must have gotten into him because he admitted to trying to kill Sora the night you were actually summoned. That’s what that was about. Cloud is furious, Riku’s been imprisoned, Xemnas is taking credit for saving Sora’s life. It’s a big mess.”

                The girl was silent, pondering. She turned the scroll over in her hands a few times, like she might find answers there in Demyx’s messy handwriting. “Sora… what does he look like?”

                “Uhhh… I don’t know.” Roxas gave her a puzzling look. “I don’t think anyone but Cloud, Tifa, Xemnas and Riku have seen him… Why?”

                “Well it’s just…” she scratched her head, as if she were trying to find the words to continue. “It’s just that my girls and I caught wind that there was a Manticore roaming the countryside on the ground. But when we showed up, Riku was already on the hunt, so I decided not to pursue it. But then there was this boy there. A little Hero I guess. He and Riku started fighting over the Manticore, but he actually saved the boy a few times from being mauled, even though he was clearly in the way. It seemed very out of character for him. And then…?”

                Axel leaned forward anxiously, crossing his legs like a child listening intently to a bedtime story. “Then? Then what??”

                “Well it was weird. He was trying the whole time to stop the boy from killing the Manticore, but when it attacked the Hero, he put Soul Eater right through its chest. And then, no more than thirty seconds later, he put the sword at the boy’s throat. Honestly, it was like he’d been possessed.”

                “You sat there and watched this all, and you didn’t do anything?” Roxas asked, scrutinous.

                “Have you seen what Riku’s like when he wants something?” she snapped. “I wasn’t going to lose one of my hunters by putting them in his path; he already looked desperate and they would have tried to challenge him. But… it was odd that he didn’t just kill the Hero on the spot.”

                Axel nudged Roxas’ arm, and the blond looked back at him. “…A Manticore attack would explain the injuries that Riku was brought in with.”

                The man nodded, the freckles on his nose scrunching up when he frowned. “Yuffie, what night was this?”

                “Oh, let’s see… It was the first quarter moon, sooo… two weeks ago, about.”

                “That would have been the night we held the council,” Axel whispered to Roxas.

                Nodding, Roxas bit the corner of his lip. “Xemnas has something to do with this. I just know it.”

                “What do we do though?” Yuffie asked.

                “We can’t go to Cloud,” Axel mused. “After that night, with how angry he was, he wouldn’t listen. And Riku confessed in front of eleven gods to trying to murder Sora in cold blood.”

                “No, going to Cloud isn’t an option,” Roxas agreed. “We’ll take care of this ourselves.”

_~~~_

                It had taken a full week to come up with a plan, and then another to prepare. By week three after discovering that Riku was (possibly, most likely, or in some way) innocent, Axel, Roxas and Yuffie had a solid casing of the palace. It was almost funny actually; even though they had all lived on Olympus for centuries, they had spent very little time paying attention to the workings of the place. It had been quite the chore to mock up a tentative schedule of the guards that roamed at night, and an even more difficult task to map out their positions and shift changes. But with the knowledge that Riku, though not entirely well liked, was sitting in a prison suffering while they deliberated, the trio decided to put the plan into motion early.

                The plan was simple in theory, but relied heavily on timing. Axel and Roxas would be the ones to actually enter the Silent Chamber; Roxas would be the lookout and, if necessary, the distraction. Axel was the strongest physically so he would be the one helping Riku. And Yuffie would be waiting outside with her chariot. Roxas put up some protest to this, but everyone seemed to agree that the white stags drawing Yuffie's ride were much less conspicuous than the great flaming horses Roxas’ was pulled by. 

                It would be easy enough getting into the inner courtyard garden that sat in the center of the palace. Being spotted walking around in the middle of the night wasn’t ideal, but would be easier to explain than it would carrying a demon though the hallways.

                Both Axel and Roxas had donned heavy black cloaks for this trip. The pair slipped through the winding corridors carefully as possible. Time was of less importance in this stage. It wasn’t until they reached the open garden that the clock started ticking. Roxas stood back to back with Axel, keeping an eye on the doors while his husband placed a hand against the wall. Stars etched into the rock lit up as his touch, and there was a soft rumbling when a stone door slid open.

                “Roxas, let’s go,” Axel hissed. The blond followed him in, placing a hand on Axel’s back to let him know he was close behind. They left the door open behind them; the moment it closed, time would stop moving and make it very difficult for them to get out.

                “Wow.” Axel squinted, slipping his hand into Roxas’ and looking around at their surroundings. It was nothing but white everywhere. There were no defined walls, and even the floors didn’t seem fully solid like they should be, making it hard to move forward. “It  _is_  rather bright in here, isn’t it? It’s a little annoying even for me.”

                “Do you see Riku?” Roxas responded, giving Axel’s hand a small squeeze.

                “No… I mean, I can’t really see anything… Wait. What's over there?”

                Following Axel’s finger with his gaze, Roxas also squinted. A distance away, it was hard to tell how far, was an unidentifiable grey blot against the light. Unable to say for sure what it was, he tugged Axel forward. Surprisingly, it was only a handful of steps away before they found Riku curled up at their feet; it had seemed to be much farther. He clearly hadn’t gotten very far in before collapsing.

                Roxas crouched down to his knees, looking the man over. He might have been breathing, might not have been, but his own blurry vision made it difficult to say for sure. He was still a bloody, filthy mess from his battle over a month ago, his wounds still black and unhealed. Had he been outside these walls, he would have been long dead by now, but the uniqueness of the Silent Chamber’s makeup had kept him preserved like a flower frozen in ice. The only thing that seemed to have changed was the patchwork of red burns that marred his skin; a result from the intense light in the Chamber, no doubt.

                The blond reached out to try and wake him, but Axel put a hand on his arm.

                “Don’t,” he whispered. “Demons are much more susceptible to light magic when they’re injured. You might make it worse.” Despite his lack of fondness for the man, Axel’s voice still held a trace of guilt. Cupping Riku's head and being careful only to touch his hair, Axel withdrew a waterskin from his cloak and dribbled a small amount of its contents over Riku’s cracked lips.

                At first, Riku didn’t move. It was nearly impossible to tell if he was sleeping or comatose. Then his eyelids twitched and his lips parted to allow a few droplets of water to trickle in. Axel passed the skin over to Roxas for a moment, slipping his cloak off of his shoulders and draping it over Riku’s body. Carefully, using the fabric as a barrier between his hand and Riku’s skin, Axel pulled Riku’s head up into his lap.

                Hazily, eyes still closed, Riku sipped at the drink presented to him again, though most of it dribbled over the corners of his mouth. Then the demon gasped and began to sputter, and Axel capped the waterskin again and returned it to his pocket. They waited a moment for the coughing fit to subside before Axel started to push the man into a sitting position. “Roxas, help me get him up. Carefully.”

                Following Axel’s instructions, Roxas gently bundled Riku up in the cloak and helped him into Axel’s arm’s. He wrapped the cloak over Riku’s back, rested the demon's head on Axel’s shoulder, scrunching up a wad of fabric between his head and Axel’s neck, and tucked his long silver hair into the hood to keep it out of sight. When nearly every inch of Riku was cocooned except for his dangling feet, they started to move again.

                Riku groaned when they passed again through the doorway, shuddering as his body began to resume its normal functions that had been previously halted. Shushing him, Axel nodded at Roxas to close the door. A soft click signified the Chamber locking behind them, but they didn't wait around to see it. Roxas took the lead, peering around each corner before he would waive for Axel to follow. It was precarious business, and though he knew that if they did get caught they would most likely just be reprimanded with a slap on the wrist, Roxas' heart still pounded.

                It was Riku who was the concern. If they got caught or, if he died before they could get him help, Xemnas would know. Riku would like receive a punishment worse than the one he already had, and Xemnas would know that Roxas, Axel and Yuffie had helped him escape. And they were banking on his disappearance being mysterious.

                Over halfway there, Roxas poked his head around a bend and quickly retracted, waiving Axel back. The redhead ducked into an alcove in the wall half hidden by two potted plants, pulling Riku close while Roxas did his best to make himself look casual. A difficult task for a guy who's just been caught standing around in the halls in the middle of the night. 

                "Roxas?" Aerith peered down at the shorter god, halting in her tracks. She wore a pale pink shift and a confused expression, with her hair braided loosely over her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

                Roxas hesitated, wracking his brain. "I um... couldn't sleep." 

                The woman's eyes softened and she nodded solemnly. "Me either. I haven't for a few weeks now. Ever since Xemnas said that Cloud had found Sora. It just seems strange. All of it. I can't help but wonder if we made the right call letting Xemnas walk away without talking more, you know?"

                The blond nodded a little too eagerly. "Yeah yeah. I thought so too." 

                Sighing softly, she twisted the ends of her braid around her finger. "Well I'm glad I'm not the only one. Maybe I could talk to Cloud about it now that he's calmed down..."

                "That's a great idea. You definitely should."

                Aerith nodded again, gave him a soft smile, and tried to take a step around him. Roxas immediately side stepped, cutting her off, and keeping himself between her and his husband. "W-wait! Uh... where are you going?"

                Aerith took a startled step back, clutching her hand to her chest. "I... I was going back to my quarters. It's that way." She pointed a finger over Roxas' shoulder.

                "No, no, why don't you go talk to Cloud right now."

                "Right now??" Her brow cinched together. "Roxas, it's the middle of the night."

                "I think he'd really be interested in what you had to say." He insisted, putting both hands on her shoulder and practically pushing her back the other way.

                "B-but surely it can wait until morning at least." The woman argued, digging her heals into the ground until Roxas was forced to a stop.

                "But what if you wait too long and something terrible happens? Do you really want that on your shoulders? I'm sure Cloud will understand." The blond pushed a little harder, but despite her petite appearance, Aerith easily managed to hold her ground.

                "Roxas, what exactly is going on??" Aerith pulled her arm away and shot him a humorless glare. The man looked away, refusing to meet her gaze while he searched for another excuse. He was standing there with his mouth agape when around the corner came a raspy cough. 

                Mouth clamping shut, Roxas looked up at her to see if, by some miracle, she hadn't noticed. Of course, he had no such luck. There was an awkward impasse, where seconds ticked by, both parties staring at each other, both knowing that Roxas had been caught. It was Aerith that broke the silence, crossing her arms over her chest.

                "I'm going to turn around now, and take the long way back to my room," she enunciated. "Whatever it is you and Axel are up to, I wasn't here, and I didn't see anything."

                Relief washed over Roxas and the tension in his shoulders slackened. He nodded uncertainly and flashed a nervous grin. "Thank you..."

                "Goodnight, Roxas". The woman shook her head in an exasperated manner, turning and walking back in the same direction that she came. Roxas held his ground, waiting until she had disappeared again around the hall. Then he turned back to the nook Axel had wedged himself in and crossed his arms over his chest.

                The redhead blanched, pulling Riku closer to his chest. "Well don't look at me!" he hissed. "He can hardly breathe, and you're taking too long."

                Huffing, Roxas shook his head and beckoned for him to follow again. Axel tiptoed after him, hoisting Riku further up onto his shoulder. Now that they'd wasted precious time, the guards were likely to be headed there way again. In fact, listening closely Roxas could hear a handful of gravelly voices down the hall, and among them was that of a single woman. Stalling no doubt. Gods bless Aerith, she was too good for them.

                Roxas pushed on one of the heavy double doors to the palace with his shoulder, holding it just open just enough that Axel could slip through. From there they would only have to sprint across the yard and then be home free. Yuffie sat in wait by the gate the stables, and waived her arm above her head when she was them coming. Hardest part behind them, the trio loaded up their stowaway into the back of her chariot, wedged in between Roxas and Axel. By this point, Axel was breathing hard and Riku almost not at all.

                "Come on, Yuffie, let's get out of here. This kid’s surprisingly heavy,” Axel complained, shoving Riku off of his lap.

                Roxas grimaced when the man slumped over into the blond's side and used his shoulder to push him back up so that he wasn't being crushed. "I don't think he'll make it much longer and I have to get back up here to get ready for sunrise or everyone is going to be suspicious."

                "Keep your toga on." The girl chided. With there now being three extra occupants than usual, Yuffie had to take a seat aback one of the stags her chariot was drawn by. Everything about them was stark white, from the antlers the goddess held onto all the way to the hooves that kicked up the dirt with anticipation. Nudging them in the sides, they leaped into action.

  Axel wrapped his arm around Riku’s shoulders when the force of their takeoff threatened to send him sprawling, pulling him in closer to his side. “So now that the hard part is over, anyone know how we’re going to get him to help on the ground without being spotted?”

                “Ummm….” Yuffie called over her shoulder. “I didn’t get that far. I figured we were just planning on taking him to a human healer and seeing what they could do for him.”

                “Oh sure,” Axel scoffed. “We’ll just knock on their front door, three gods, in the middle of the night and say ‘good evening ma’am or sir, how familiar are you with the inner workings of a demon’s biology, because we have one on the brink of death, and we were just hoping you could take a look at him’. Tell me, does that sound like a solid plan to you?”

                “Do you have something better, hot shot?” The girl chided, shooting him a glare over her shoulder. Her steeds took off into the sky and immediately began their decent. Soon, they were nothing but a white spot in the sky, easily mistaken for a shooting star before they disappeared into the clouds below them. “No? No takers? I didn’t think so.”

                “Will you two cut it out?” The blond complained. “I have an idea. You said you saw Sora in one of the mortal cities, right Yuffie?”

                “Well… yeah, I did, but what’s he going to do? He’s half a Hero living in a shack, fighting ghosts and rescuing cats from trees.”

                “Cloud would have your head if he heard you talking about his son like that, Yuffie.” Axel’s tone was serious but his smirk gave him away all too easily. The woman turned and stuck her tongue out at him, her dark hair whipping around her face.

                “What other options do we have?” Roxas began to count, ticking off each finger. “One. We leave him in the woods to die. Xemnas finds out, we get in trouble, Riku gets punished a second time. Two; we show up at a human’s house and they don’t know how to help him, he dies, he gets in trouble, we get in trouble. Three! We give him to the human’s and they take one look at him and publicly execute him in the street, leaving us with trouble! Or four. Which is taking him to Sora, the only person who might actually be willing or capable of taking care of him.”

                “Uggggh.” Yuffie groaned, tossing her head back. They had left the cloud cover now and it wouldn’t be long before the ground was in sight and a decision had to be made. If anyone would be willing to help a known murderer, a Hero of light was probably the best option. “Fine. But if this Sora kid turns out to be another useless wanna be, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now does anyone know where he lives?”

~~~

                Clink.

                Sora’s eyes flickered in his sleep. His bed covers we haphazardly thrown over his body, somehow managing to cover his middle and his head, but with both feet and one arm sticking out. His leg dangled over the edge of the bed, and his snores were only partially muffled by the pillow pressed against his face.

                Clink.

                He snorted, clenching his eyes tighter, the outer world growing more insistent. What was that? He didn’t really care. It was one of the few nights since what he had begun to regard as his biggest failure in his life so far that he had managed to sleep mostly through the night. He tried to will the nuisance away, rolling over to his other side and burying his head under the pillow.

                Thunk.

                Really, he didn’t want to see anyone right now. Didn’t they get that? After everything that had happened, most of the townsfolk regarded him as the savior of the city. At least for the moment. But for all their praise, he couldn’t help but feel miserable. His gloom was so intense that Phil had even decided that maybe it was time they leave this town and go find somewhere else to move on to. He’d left with Pegasus a few days prior to scope out other cities where they could put down a few roots and Sora couldn’t be happier to leave. He could barely stand to look everyone in the eyes, after he had failed the person who most needed his help. He didn’t deserve their admiration.

                Crack!

                The boy bolted upright in his bed, eyes flying open and searching the room for the intruder. In his panic, he tumbled over the edge of the bed, landing hard on the wood floor with blankets piling on top of him. By the time he managed to untangle himself from the mess he’d caused, his eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness that he could focus on the darkest corners of his room. But there was nothing.

                Grimacing, Sora got up and rubbed the back of his head. Who would be up at this time of night making so much noise?

                Clink.

                Oh, there is was. Sora swung around and fixed his gaze on the window, just on the other side of his small bedroom. From his vantage point, all he could see was the glowing of the moon outside, bright enough to cast a blue light over everything below it. That, and a crack that now marred the glass.

                Sora got up, moving over to investigate. No one seemed to be there. He flipped the latch that held the two glass panels closed and tossed them open, leaning out to get a better look. He nearly brushed the disturbance off as a figment of his overworked, under rested mind, but something stopped him. Something moving, right below him, hidden by the roof over his porch.

                There wasn’t time to bother with getting dressed. Sora simply grabbed his sword from his bedside and threw the belt over his shoulder. After that night, he had yet to see that strange key shaped blade again.

                At the bottom of the stairs, Sora stopped. Whatever was out there, maybe it hadn’t realized that he was awake yet. Better to keep quiet than to give up the element of surprise. So he only creaked the door open an inch or two, peaking out the crack with one eye.

                He almost didn’t believe what he was seeing at first. It seemed so improbable, but no matter how many times he blinked, the image didn’t disappear. Laying there, in the dead center of the road, was what was clearly a person. A person with silver hair sprawled out from under the hood covering his head.

                Bursting through the door, Sora rushed over to the figures’ side and pulling the cloak away from the man’s face. A wide grin split Sora’s features but soon turned to concern. Riku seemed to be alive, but there was definitely something wrong with him. He looked as though he had only worsened in the month since Sora had last seen him. How was he still this badly hurt and still alive? Why hadn’t he started to heal yet? Bruises and blood and gnarly red burns covered his body, what he could see of it. But what caught his attention most was the scroll of parchment that had been wrapped around one of Riku’s wrists and tied off with a cord.

                Sora was sure to be careful unraveling it, not sure yet the extent of damage inflicted on the demon. Inside was a note, written hastily in what looked like three different types of handwriting, addressed to him.

       _Sora,_

_I imagine you might be startled right now. Rest assured, our friend here means you no harm. We believe you know this man, and if not, you will soon. For that, I apologize. But if anyone can keep him safe for a little while, we believe you are his best option in a dire situation._

                **_Please be careful with him. Normally we would have done our best to find him a healer, but desperate times and all that, right? Manticore venom is a paralytic, and he won’t be moving for quite some time. Which is good news for you! He won’t have the strength to try and kill you for at least a few days!_**

      _A few things to keep in mind; demons do not work the same way as humans, so any healing magic or medicines will be trial and error. He will probably be very grumpy when he wakes up. He’ll most likely call you names and in general act like an ungrateful asshole. He has been through a lot these last few weeks, so please don’t let this deter you from helping him anyway._

_Toodles!_

\- _R_ ,   _ **A**_ ,    _Y_

 


	8. Chapter 8

He was still breathing. That fact, Kairi had commented, was rather remarkable. Come to think of it, Riku’s entire being was rather remarkable. Most men under similar circumstances would have lost consciousness within minutes after Manticore venom was introduced to their bloodstream. Somehow, whether it be luck, dark magic, or the will of the gods, Riku had managed to go nearly five weeks and was still alive, despite what his disheveled appearance might have one believe.

Riku groaned when Kairi patted down his arm with a damp cloth, doing her best to remove the layer of grime and blood caked over his skin. Sora tried to sooth him, but he wasn’t convinced that Riku recognized his efforts, as he’d been mostly unresponsive since Kairi’s arrival, but for a few brief moments. They sat, huddled together in the nook under the stairs, Sora with his back to the wall and Riku’s head in his lap. Kairi was kneeling by the man’s side with an assortment of herbs, medicines, and tools. Near Riku’s head, a little bowl of leaves burned. The smoke was meant to help ease his nerves, Kairi said.

The woman cleaned Riku up with the utmost delicacy. Next to her, laying on a scrap of leather that she had unraveled, were an assortment of needle like Manticore quills. They ranged in size, some no bigger than a toothpick, and others as long as Sora’s forearm. And next to them, a tiny pot with a strange black ichor bubbling inside. It reminded Sora of an ink well, except fouler smelling. It reminded him of night they fought the beast, and Riku had ripped out similar spikes from his back.

~~~

_Sora swiped this arm over his kitchen table, shoving away anything in his path. Dishes, silverware, and some armor he’d left out clattered to the ground. Carefully, the boy hefted Riku off his shoulder and laid him down on top of the counter, as if he were weightless._

_“Riku?” Sora rested his hand on the man’s cheek, patting it lightly in effort to wake him. But he continued to lay there, limp like a doll and unmoving, barely clinging on to life. “Riku, come on, it’s me. Sora.” Sora sounded desperate, even to his own ears, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t afford to care at a time like this._

_“Wake up. Please.” Tears sprung to the Hero’s eyes, despite his efforts to hold himself together. “Please, Riku, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help you. You have to wake up!”_

_Riku’s eyes cracked open, only to slip back closed again seconds later, his head lolling to the side. Sora searched the room for something that might be helpful, something that he might be able to use. He lived in an herb shop, but if he was being honest, he didn’t know what half of that stuff did. Mentally, he scolded himself for having not paid closer attention to Kairi during her lessons. She’d been right when she’d said that a Hero needed to be prepared with more than just a sword to save the day. Riku needed a healer. A real one._

_“Okay umm… Just stay right here, okay? Don’t go anywhere.” Yeah okay, like the guy could actually leave if he wanted to. Still, his mysterious friend had made it a habit of disappearing right when Sora least expected it and not showing up again for days._

_The trip to Kairi's home, even though she lived just down the road and him running at full speed, seemed to take an eternity. It was still dark out when the Hero pounded on her door, not even caring who he woke in the process. Sora was barefoot and still in his pajamas, but seeing the look on his face made all of Kairi’s confusion vanish to be replaced with concern._

_“Sora? What are you doing here? What’s wrong?”_

~~~

“Sora. Are you listening?”

Kairi’s voice startled Sora out of his daydream and he looked up to meet the redhead’s gaze. She held one of the quills poised above Riku’s forearm, it’s sharpest end dipped in the unidentifiable green-black sludge.

Sora shook his head in effort to clear it. “No, sorry Kairi. What did you say?”

“I said that I don’t know for sure if this will work on him. I have only tried it on a handful of people who were attacked, but they were human.”

“Please, Kairi.” Sora pleaded with her. “I don’t know what else to do for him. We have to at least try.”

“Isn’t this the man that was shooting at us last month? The one who tried to kill you?” Kairi’s eyes narrowed at the demon suspiciously, her brows cinched together.

Sora gave her a solemn laugh, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. A couple of times actually. Funny how things work out, I guess…”

The girl stared at him, scrutinous, looking between the Hero and the man in front of her. She shook her head in resignation and turned her attention back to the task at hand. “Hold him down for me. Gently.” She added as an afterthought, shooting Sora a withering look. “Try not to crush him.”

“I got it, I got it,” he assured her. After some thought, he wrapped one arm over Riku’s broad chest and the other around his bicep, then nodded for Kairi to proceed.

She took a deep breath, turning Riku’s wrist so it was facing outward, and carefully pierced the soft skin of his inner arm. This close to death, and with his breath still slowly fading, Riku was so pale that Sora would have sworn he could see the antivenom crawling through the demon’s veins, spiderwebbing up his arm from the tip of Kairi’s crude needle.

The pair went still, watching with intent for any kind of response or change in Riku’s demeanor. Seconds slipped by but Riku looked no better or worse than before. When seconds turned into minutes, Sora finally sighed and loosened his grip on the man. “Maybe he just needs a stronger-“

Without warning, Riku gasped, jolting, and crying out in pain. Kairi and Sora both leaped to hold him down, doing their best not to hurt him any further. Neither was having much luck.

~~~ 

_“Sora, will you just tell me what’s going on?” Kairi insisted, pushing the front door to the shop open. All the Hero had given her up to this point was that he needed her to help someone, but wouldn’t say who. The concern that she’d had when he’d shown up on her doorstep would soon fade to annoyance, all the while Sora insisted that she wouldn’t believe him if he tried to explain._

_Sora lit one of the candles sitting on the counter and begun rummaging around the many shelves of herbs. “Which one of these do you put on burns? And is there anything here that will help someone breathe??” he asked._

_“Sora.” The girl’s voice held more than a little bit of irritation. “I can’t help you if you don’t let me know what I’m dealing with.”_

_Sora hesitated, looking at her nervously and back to his herbs. He seemed to be about to say something but was cut off by the crashing that erupted from the kitchen. “Crap.”_

_Kairi hurried in after Sora, pushing away the curtain that separated the shop from Sora’s home. There was clutter everywhere, with dishes and weapons scattered over the floor. She recognized the leathers Sora fought in tossed haphazardously in the corner. Most concerning, however, was the blood that was smeared across the bare wood of the kitchen table. “O-okay Sora. I think it’s time you explain yourself.”_

_The Hero looked around frantically, cursing under his breath. “Dammit Riku, don’t do this,” he muttered, throwing open closet doors and pulling back curtains. Finally, he crouched down by the crawlspace under the stairs and pulled back the curtain covering it just enough to poke his head in. Tension slipped from his shoulders and he let out a sigh of relief._

_“Sora?” Kairi inched forward, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the person Sora was looking at._

_The Hero hurried back to his feet, pulling the curtain closed again, and turned around to face her. “Okay. Try not to startle him, alright? He’s not going to hurt you, but he’s… nervous.”_

_Sora hoped he wouldn’t hurt her, anyway._

_Clearly tired of waiting, Kairi gave Sora an annoyed push out of the way. “Sora, if someone is hurt, this is no time for games,” she chastised, her fingers wrapping around the curtain. “So I need you to step back and let me-“_

_Gasping, she staggered away, her violet eyes wide and the color draining from her skin. To her credit, she hadn’t screamed when she’d impatiently thrown the drapes open, even though the massive, silver hellhound curled up in the space under the stairs was likely the last thing she’d been expecting when Sora had requested her help._

_Riku almost didn’t fit in the nook. It was big enough for maybe three adult humans, if they didn’t mind sitting very close together, but were the demon to try and stretch out, he would surely be pinned. Kairi didn’t speak, only looked back and forth between him and Sora, her hands held out defensively._

_Sora took a slow step over by her side, touching her arm to comfort her. “Kairi, this is Riku. It’s okay, he’s not going to hurt you.”_

_Frankly, it was a surprise that he’d even made it off the table by himself._

_Still, the girl looked at him as if Sora had lost his mind. It was possible that he had, given the circumstances he kept finding himself in. But always one to give the benefit of the doubt, she cautiously took a couple steps forward to inspect the demon. Riku lay with his head tucked into his side, and his eyes closed. Even in this form, the man looked no better off. His fur was matted down with blood and smeared with a blackish green oily substance. It reminded Sora of the time he’d spilled a pot of ink on the kitchen rug as a child._

_“He’s beautiful…” Kairi whispered, having regained enough of her composure to be cautiously awed. “How did you get him in here? Is he friendly?”_

_“Uhhhh…” Sora rubbed the back of his neck._

**_No,_ ** _came a stern, but weary voice, and an accompanying low growl._

_Kairi leaped backwards again, yelping. “He… he-!”_

_Yeah, he does that,” Sora said, waving off the girl’s concern. “So, can you help him?”_

_“Help him?? What even is he, Sor?” The girl rubbed at her temple as if she had a migraine. “I don’t even know where to start.”_

_Sora look over at the hound and crouched down by his side. “Hey,” he whispered soothingly. “Can you change back for me?” Riku blinked up at him, his green eyes bleary and bloodshot, and closed them again, grimacing._

_“I know, you’re hurting. Please?” Hesitantly, he reached out and rested his hand on the tip of Riku’s nose. “It’ll be over soon.”_

_Riku’s gaze swiveled over to Kairi pointedly. He bared his sharp teeth at the girl, his guttural snarl reminiscent of metal scraping against gravel. It probably would have been more threatening it Riku didn’t nearly collapse back against the floor immediately after._

_Sora looked back at her and stood again, turning his back on Riku and gesturing for her to do the same. The healer flashed him an incredulous look but did as he asked. It wasn’t like Sora hadn’t already made a dozen of unusual requests that night._ _Behind them, Riku shuddered, clenching his eyes shut, and groaning with the effort it took him to shift back._

_Sora dared to peak over his shoulder after a few seconds, happy to find Riku back in his human form, but concerned again when realized that Riku had once more lost consciousness. “Okay. You can turn around.”_

_Kairi looked behind her and blinked at the man that now lay in front of them. She crouched down, looking him over but carefully avoiding touching him. “Oh Sora, what have you gotten yourself into?”_

_~~~_

Hours had passed since Kairi had gone home and Riku had yet to wake up. The healer had left him specific instructions on how to care for their new patient, from how often to change the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and chest, to the little dish of aloe she’d given him for his burns. It was all hypothetical, really, since they had no idea how traditional medicine would affect the demon, but Riku had responded well so far to the antivenom Kairi and her grandmother had crafted from leftover Manticore quills. She was confident that if he could pull through the night, he would probably survive.

Sora had run out of things to keep himself occupied and now could only wait anxiously by Riku’s side. He had already scrounged up several blankets and pillows that he found around the house and had tucked them around Riku’s body like a makeshift nest. He normally would have been happy to offer up his own bed, but Riku seemed to have made himself comfortable and he was concerned about how much he could move the man in his condition.

After that, he’d seen to the task of cleaning up the mess they had made of his kitchen, starting with picking the scattered dishes from where he’d strewn them and ending with him on his hands and knees scrubbing Riku’s blood out of his floorboards. He hadn’t noticed before now, but there was something off about it. It was darker than he thought it any right to be. Even now that it had dried, the red color was closer to black than the rust brown he would have expected.

It was approaching dawn when Sora finally drifted off to sleep, sprawled out on the floor by Riku’s side with a spare blanket haphazardly thrown over himself and his cheek pressed against the wood. He woke again sometime later to the cracking of thunder, so loud that in his confusion, Sora thought it might have been the Manticore back from the dead, roaring in his ears. The Hero bolted upright, searching his surroundings, and trying to remember where he was. A flash of light through his window illuminated the little kitchen and simultaneously rain began to pound the rooftop. Riku startled the noise, finally waking. His eyes were wide and fearful, and Sora reached down to touch his hair comfortingly, but stopped himself.

“Shh. It’s okay,” Sora whispered, returning his hand to his lap. “Just a storm.”

“…C-cloud.” Riku sounded a bit stronger than before, but that wasn’t saying much. “Cloud-“

A hoarse cough bubbled up in Riku’s throat, cutting him off. Sora waited for it to subside, quietly standing to close the shutters on the windows. His father had done this? What was he thinking? He knew that Riku and the god didn’t necessarily see eye to eye, but he couldn’t think of a good reason to have done… whatever he’d done to Riku. It was like he’d traveled forward in time from the night of their fight.

He mentally scolded himself, however. How could he say whether Riku deserved what had come to him or not? He knew almost nothing about what had happened. After over a month of searching for Riku, he had finally found him and was still in the dark. This encounter was most certainly not going how he thought it would.

The Hero had gone through scenario after scenario in his head, working out what he might say to Riku if he were to see him again. He’d want to make sure he was okay first of course, but then there was a myriad of questions he’d have for him. Why had he been hunting the Manticore? Where had he gone when he’d disappeared? Why did he wait so long to come back, had something happened to keep him? And there were also a few accusations that the city folk had made that had him concerned.

“He doesn’t know where you are. I don’t think.” The boomed followed his words, enough to make the house shudder. If his father did know, he was sure that they would have felt more of his god-like furry than a little rain splatter.

The Hero returned to Riku’s side, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “How are you feeling?”

Riku blinked up at him, his gaze dizzily wandering to inspect his surroundings, and what he found caused his brow to furrow. “Where am I?” he rasped, looking as annoyed as he sounded.

Sora snorted ungracefully. Even immediately after a crisis, if Riku could maintain his surly attitude, he must not be doing too bad. “You’re in my house. You don’t remember?”

“Mm,” Riku hummed in response, taking a deep breath. “I remember… Namine being here.”

“Namine?” Sora shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re taking about.” Was he still delirious?

The man sniffed, as if irritated, but with Sora or himself, the Hero couldn’t tell. “Kairi, I mean. Your friend. The redhead.”

“Oh.” Riku’s cryptic answer was less than helpful. “Yes, she’s was here. She’s a healer. She’s the one who helped you.”

Riku nodded, hazily, like the motion was difficult and he wasn’t entirely focused. He tensed for a moment, eyes clenched, and his breathing hitched. “I-I can’t move.”

“Just relax, alright? You’re gonna be staying here with me for a while. I’ve got a few things here that we can try for the pain, but I’m not really sure which ones will be better for you…”

“Don’t worry about it,” the man grumbled.

“Hush,” Sora demanded. “You’re staying here, and you’ll take what I give you, and you’re answering the questions I have, and unless you can walk on out of here, you don’t really get a say it in,” Sora chided, his frustration (and possibly exhaustion) finally starting to boil over.

Riku simply stared at him, a mix of emotions clouding his expression, to the point that Sora began to squirm uncomfortably under the intensity of his sea green gaze. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

A hint of sarcastic amusement crinkled the edges of Riku’s eyes, and he took a deep breath to get the words out. “You’ve gotten a bit bossy, haven’t you, Hero? What’s wrong, is saving the world more stressful than you were expecting? Who would have thought that you might actually have to work for what you wanted.”

Sora frowned. This was going to be more challenging than he thought.

Not going to dignify Riku with a response, the brunette stood and fetched the fire blackened kettle Kairi had left in the coals of his dying fire before she’d left. He snagged a little wooden cup from his cupboard and filled to the brim with a yellow tea that sloshed over the edges, then returned to the man’s side.

“Drink,” he ordered, pushing the cup up to Riku’s lips.

Riku did his best to angle his head away, a task that didn’t look easy, eyeing the drink warily and actually looking a little concerned about the threat in Sora’s voice. _Good_ , he thought. He ought to be.

“Why?” Riku choked out. “What’s in it?”

“I’m not sure. Sideritis. Poppy I think. Some other stuff. Just drink it.” Sora edged even closer, making Riku tense.

“You want me to drink something your little girlfriend made from a bunch of weeds without knowing what they are??”

Annoyed, Sora pushed his hand behind Riku’s neck and forced his head forward, pressing the tea to the man’s lips. Begrudgingly, Riku complied, sipping slowly at the edges until he reached the bottom, while Sora grumbled something illegible about Kairi and him only being friends. Satisfied, Sora set it down on the floor and crossed his legs under him.

“See? Things aren’t so difficult if you aren’t a jerk. Now, are you going to tell me what the hell happened that night, or do I have to hold you hostage here?”

Sniffling his displeasure, Riku narrowed his eyes at the Hero. “You couldn’t hold a cripple hostage if you tried.”

“You want to try me? You’re as good as crippled.”

Riku sighed, letting his eyes slip closed tiredly and resigning himself to his fate. “…Out with it then.”

That was almost funny. There were hundreds of things that Sora wanted to know. So many in fact, that he wasn’t sure where to even begin. One thing, however, had been eating at him more than the others. It was almost unrelated to the fight with the Manticore, but nevertheless, he was still troubled.

“Did you kill a child? A farmer’s boy?” Sora nearly whispered, his voice unsteady in the face of an answer he might not want to know.

Riku shifted his gaze back up to the Hero, his expression more haggard now than ever, and his tone softened. “Who told you about that?”

Anger rushed up to the surface, boiling in Sora’s veins and hitting him harder than he had expected it to. He knew, realistically, that Riku had probably done a myriad of horrible things in his long life under the thumb of his master, but somehow, hearing the revelation straight from Riku’s mouth was more than he could handle. His first instinct had been right, he shouldn’t have asked. The force with which he stood was enough that he tipped the empty tea cup onto its side, nearly overturning the kettle as well.

“Sora, wait,” Riku called out weakly. “It isn’t what you think.”

But the brunette didn’t seem to hear it. Without a word, he grabbed the edge of the curtain separating the crawlspace from his kitchen and snapped it closed.

“Come on, didn’t you say you wanted to talk?” the man protested weakly behind it.

“Not anymore. I got more than enough.” The rough slam of Sora leaving was like the period at the end of the sentence. Conversation over. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Riku sighed, left in silence to wonder why he even cared about what a little mortal thought of him.

~~~ 

The rain was still pounding, the splatter off the cobble stone soaking his sandals, and reminding Sora that he should have thrown on something warmer before making his dramatic exit. Now he was in the unusual position of not knowing where to go. Had he been trying to avoid Phil, he might have gone over to Kairi’s under the guise of studying. But Kairi had likely gone back to bed and he wasn’t going to disturb her a second time.

It was early morning now, though the greying sky hinted otherwise. Only a few brave souls had found a good enough excuse to wander out in this drizzle, but they were wisely tucked under heavy cloaks and hooded shawls, and paid him little attention. Sora wrapped his arms around himself, trying to rub the goosebumps out of his skin. What he really needed, though, was a place to clear his head. He could go to the temple, but his irrational side worried whether his father might be there to interrogate him about the fugitive hiding in his storage room, and he steered toward the other direction.

When the cold had reached a teeth-chattering temperature, Sora decided that any building would have to do, and quickly ducked his head into the nearest doorway. The warmth that engulfed him was almost shocking. Most people would only keep their homes and shops as warm as they needed, as it was often considered wasteful to burn more fires than necessary. But this shop owner didn’t seem to be bothered.

Upon closer inspection, Sora realized that it wasn’t a shop at all, but a library. Funnily enough, Sora had probably walked passed this very door several times but never realized what it was. Not that he was much of a reader anyway, but the high domed ceiling, quiet aisles, and warming hearth spoke of a peacefulness that he had been sorely missing in his life as of late.

This was probably how the Hero found himself wandering the rows of shelves, brushing his fingers along the spines of dusty books and the rods of yellowing scrolls, letting his mind wander.

“You there,” an annoyed voice called over the banister of the upper floor, and Sora whipped his head up to find a scowling man standing there, his brows pinched. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I… uh… I was only looking…” Sora stammered, uncertain.

“No,” the stranger edged over to the narrow staircase against the wall. He was dressed in simple robes of grey and dark blue, his long black hair peppered with grey, and lines around his eyes hinted at his years. However, the scars that marred his face were not that of your typical librarian and left Sora eyeing him in wonder.

“I meant, what are you doing traipsing through here, soaked through like a wet rat. These writings are older than you are.”

Sora peered over his should and shrank. Guiltily, he eyed the trail of drippings and messy footprints that he had left behind him. Looking back up, and rubbing the back of his neck, the boy offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry… I didn’t realize.”

The librarian said nothing, glowering at him as he made his way down the stairs and over to inspect the shelves that Sora had just been prodding at, stroking his beard while presumable looking for water damage. He must have deemed that the boy had yet to do any damage, because he soon left the books in favor of turning back to Sora with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” he demanded.

Surprised, Sora blinked at the man. He’d never seen him before, didn’t know his name, but in the weeks since he had come to this town, everyone had gotten to know him. “…I’m Sora. I’m sorry, I was just trying to get out of the rain. I didn’t know this was a library.”

The librarian nodded. “Yes, it is. I’m Eraqus. You are welcome to stay here Sora, for a while, but you are not to touch anything until you’ve dried. Understood?”

Sora ducked his head, nodding like a scolded child. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Away with you then.”

The Hero skulked over to the fireplace that adorned a sitting area, wrapping his arms around his chest again trying to rub the heat back into his skin. He didn’t dare sit down on any of the chairs, out of fear that Eraqus might be back to thrash him. From here he had the best vantage point of the whole room and could watch Eraqus work.

He whisked from aisle to aisle, checking all of the shelves for misplaced items, dusting off neglected works, and occasionally picking up one or two things and carrying them back to a large wooden desk at the other end of the room. The man’s desk was littered with books, and a handful of scrolls as well, mingling with jars and brushes that the librarian seemed to be using to repair some of the damage that had come to them over the years.

Sora rotated, letting the heat of the fire dry his other sides, but still kept his gaze tuned to the librarian’s work in fascination. The Hero was nearly dry when Eraqus finally glanced up, catching him staring red handed. He didn’t seem disturbed by this at all, however. In fact, he simply returned to his work without flinching.

“Are you much of a reader, Sora?” he asked.

Sora pinkened. All of the tutors that he’d ever dealt with would be in agreement when they said that Sora was notoriously difficult to teach. He simply couldn’t keep his attention focused on something for prolonged periods unless he had a personal investment in it.

“No,” he admitted. “Not really.”

“Really? There’s nothing that you’re interested in?”

“No, there’s not really… Well…” Thinking about it, he’d never really picked up a book to read just for fun. But in light of recent events, perhaps there was something to be gained from the old librarian’s wisdom. “Do you have anything here on immortal beings?”

Eraqus pulled his attention away from his work look enough to give Sora a quizzical stare. If he had questions though, he kept them to himself, pulling away from his desk and gesturing for Sora to follow.

Complying, Eraqus led Sora back over to the stairs he had emerged from, and up onto the second floor. It was very narrow, wrapping all the way around the room, and containing barely enough space for the small reading desks that were occasionally wedged up against the wall. It was one of these that the librarian sat Sora down at and wandered off with orders that the Hero not touch anything.

Sora slouched against the back of the little wooden chair, mindlessly drumming his fingers against the desk and studying the building around him. The shelves reached all the way to the ceiling, and made him wonder how it had even been possible to get books up that high. The windows were round, but small. Most of the light in the room came from the fireplace, or the metal braziers the hung on the walls, encompassed in glass so that their flames would not reach the books. Idlily, Sora realized that this was the reason for the excess warmth.

The Hero was distracted enough that he didn’t even notice when Eraqus returned and unloaded a large pile of books and scrolls onto his desk with a thud. Coughing and using a hand to fan away the dust cloud now making his eyes water, he looked up at Eraqus for any kind of guidance or explanation. This was only met with a smirk, as the librarian headed back in the direction of his work desk.

“Perhaps something here can settle your wandering mind a little. If you want to take any of them with you, just ask first.”

“Uh, yes, sir,” Sora stammered. “Thank you!”

With the man out of sight, Sora went to work sorting out the pile Eraqus had left for him. Truthfully, he didn’t know what he was looking for, or what had even compelled him to ask about such a thing, but if there was anything that he could use to sort out the mess he found himself in, it would probably be here. Maybe there was something here that might tell him more about the Manticore he’d fought, and what Riku might have possibly wanted with it. Or perhaps there was something that could tell him more about Riku himself. He was still angry at the man, but the cold had eaten away at some of the earlier rage he’d been overcome with, leaving him with the desire to find out everything he could about him, Riku’s uncooperative attitude be damned.

If that was even possible.

It was hours that passed there. Eraqus came around every now and then, leaving with one or two more massive tomes that he thought could possibly catch Sora’s eye, and carting off the ones the boy had discarded. By midday, Sora felt his confidence wavering. There was almost nothing he’d discovered yet that could help him. He couldn’t so much as tell what kind of demon Riku was, which seemed to be an important detail if he was interested in behavioral patterns.

“You know, for a kid who doesn’t read, you seem very invested in this.”

Sora had to lean back in his chair to see around his current mountain. Eraqus was shelving some of his newly refurbished works. The Hero sighed.

“There’s someone I know who’s always getting into trouble. Usually  _causing_  the trouble. I guess I just thought I could help, but I don’t know where to start.”

“Hm. Seems your friend might have gotten himself into something rather dangerous if these are the resources you’re turning to.”

“Yeah, he’s… well I don’t know if I would say we’re friends exactly…” the boy trailed off, one of the scrolls in Eraqus’ hand catching his attention. It was worn and yellowing with age, wrapped around a simple oak rod. It’s only significance was the two knobs on either end, with an eerily familiar marking burned into the wood. From Sora’s distance, it looked like a howling wolf.

“Eraqus, what’s that one you’ve got there?”

The librarian held up. “This? It’s a compilation of firsthand accounts from people who have witnessed demon attacks. Pretty gruesome read, I have to say. Not sure if you really want to get into this…”

“It’s alright, I can handle it. Do you mind?”

Eraqus looked between the scroll in his hand and Sora’s big eager eyes, shrugged, and passed it over. “Careful with that one, it’s old.”

The Hero nodded, but his mind was already elsewhere, fixated with the markings. He’d been right, it was a wolf, mid howl with his head tipped up to the sky. But what sent a chill down his spine was the large X that was stamped over its chest. He unfurled it slowly, each movement of the fragile page making it crackle in protest.

The first entry was so old that the ink had faded to where it was barely legible. He could make out bits and pieces but between every other word, nothing was very useful. There were also detailed illustrations, which were interesting and vaguely resembled the wolf-like creature that had been hiding in his crawlspace last night, but also not exactly what he wanted. Not that he really knew what he wanted.

It took scrolling down a way before he found something that was actually readable. The page was written like a diary, in the steady hand of someone who had to have been either a scribe or a scholar. The first entry he found that was mostly readable detailed a village from several decades ago that had been demolished in a vicious attack by a hooded figure, and a large silver wolf. The author described them as possibly being one and the same, but he sounded unsure. Sora, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as doubtful.

The further down the brunet went, the more he realized that Eraqus might have been right; this might have been too much for him. His stomach flipped at the vividness that the attack was described in. One paragraph in particular left him speechlessly rolling the scroll back up, his hands shaking.

_“And the darkness followed the beast’s footsteps, stretching from his shadow and leaving everything behind him in cinders. The river ran red with the blood of his victims, some felled by the sword, and others ripped to shreds by claw and fang. In the center of the massacre was a young oracle, who must have seen something quite terrible to have so thoroughly angered the Black Hand of Death. Her skull was crushed under the massive paws of a beast larger than a bear, wearing a wolf’s skin.”_

Sora didn’t go any further, other than to skim the bottom of the entry for a scribbled down list of statistics.

_Survivors: 7_

_Death Toll: 534_

_Duration: 2 Hours_

Taking deep breaths and holding them seemed to help steady Sora’s nerves. Eraqus must have noticed his distress, because he wordlessly passed by and set a glass of water on the edge of his desk.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have let you open that one,” he apologized.

The Hero shook his head, greedily downing the drink and rolling the empty cup between his hands.

“It’s not your fault. I asked. Is that all that’s in here?” The boy held up the scroll like it had offended his mother. “Death??”

The librarian shook his head. “Not everything. There’s some speculation in there as to the type of demon involved in the attacks, a couple of ways people tried to ward it off, and even a few imbeciles that attempted to summon one.”

Sora blinked. “Did it work?”

“No,” Eraqus laminated, stern. “I said they attempted. It didn’t go well for them.”

Sora nodded, his expression turning serious. “Eraqus, would it be okay if I borrowed this?”

Eraqus merely raised an eyebrow, and gestured towards the stairs. “There’s a log book on my desk, fill out your name and what you’re taking. Rules are in the cover.”

The boy stood, scooping the text into his arms carefully and ducking his head in a grateful nod, then turning to leave. “Thank you so much for your help.”

“Be careful, Sora,” the man called after him. “I don’t know what kind of trouble your friend is in, but you will find very little good in that.”

~~~

The sky was still threatening a storm by the time Sora had made it back home, clutching his prize to his chest with a protective determination. He wasn’t going to risk Eraqus taking his head off so soon after gaining his trust. And it seemed that the god of the skies was still fuming at the latest revelation that his prisoner had escaped, so Sora wanted to be even more careful than usual. The boy quietly stowed the scroll away in his room before making it back to where he’d last seen his patient.

Half of him expected the man to be gone again; disappeared into the wind like he so often did. But no. Riku was in the same position that he had left him, except it seemed that the medicinal tea Sora had left for the man had done its job, and as a result, Riku was hazy and unfocused from the drug. Sora approached him, sitting cross legged again by his side after moving the curtain back. Riku’s head tilted in his direction, and it was with some surprise that Sora realized his pupils were blown to the size of a throwing discus.

“I didn’t… kill that boy… for Xemnas…”

His words were vaguely slurred, making it sound as though he’d had a bit too much drink. Sora’s brow pinched, half in disgust, half confusion, a fraction of his earlier temper flaring up again. He squashed it. If Riku was going to be forthcoming for once, he wasn’t going to stop him.

“Why then?” the Hero demanded. “If it wasn’t for Xemnas, then what other reason would you have? Do you think it makes it better that you did it on your own? Because I can tell you that-”

“He was dying already.” Riku interrupted, using a small moment of strength to force the words out.

Sora frowned, but kept quiet, Riku’s tone having the affect he must have been looking for. The man waited, presumably to see if Sora was going to say anything else. He didn’t.

“He was sick.” Riku continued, sinking deeper into his pillow. “You know of the Lamia?”

“The sea witch?” Sora arched a brunet eyebrow. “She is just a fairy tale that nursemaids tell naughty children to scare them.”

“She is no fairy tale,” the man rasped. “She is dangerous and real. She preys on young children, lures them close, and lets them escape so she can hunt them down again and devour them…” Riku paused in his telling, his hazy gaze drifting unfocused, like he was caught suddenly by a painful memory, leaving Sora to wonder, and not for the first time, what kind of awful things Riku had seen in his life.

“She enjoys the chase,” he continued, seeming to come back to his senses. “The boy you heard about, I believe his name was Hope. He was maybe ten. She’d bitten him, and by the time he made it home, he had one foot in the grave. A Lamia’s bite is a slow, painful, death sentence. If you can manage to hide well enough that she can’t track you down again, the bite with still kill you. She lets her victims go so she can follow them home, because they will usually lead her to other children. So, two nights after the boy entered the village, I went to find him. I snuck into his house and told him... told him…”

He paused again, unable to bring himself to saying it out loud.

“He was a smart kid,” Riku choked. “He had a little brother. He didn’t understand, but he said he’d rather go with me than to bring that monster into his home. I guess his father must have seen me leaving with him. I didn’t hurt him. I just crossed him over to the other side. I’ve never heard of a mortal who could survive going through the gate and he was no exception…”

Riku left his words hanging there, heavy in the silence, and Sora stared. It was rare to get him to talk this much and Sora didn’t want to break the spell by overstepping. He felt a pang of guilt wash over him, realizing that it was probably the tea he’d given him earlier that had loosened Riku’s tongue, compelling him to admit more to Sora than he normally would.

Riku was looking anywhere but at Sora, refusing to meet his gaze, and Sora was trying not to picture a broken and anguished Riku carrying a small boy into the depths of the Underworld. Then, much to Sora’s shock, tears began to cloud Riku’s eyes and threatened to spill over at the corners. Hesitantly, Sora reached out and used his thumbs to wipe them away before they could break.

Sea green eyes swiveled to bore into Sora with an intense, accusatory gaze. “What did you do to me?” Riku demanded.

“I’m sorry,” Sora’s voice was shy and subdued. “It’s the tea. Kairi and I weren’t sure if the pain medication would work on you, so I might have given you a double dose. It can… make people emotional. I got a little ahead of myself.”

Riku sniffed, turning his gaze up towards the low ceiling. He didn’t comment on Sora’s questionable medical practices. In fact, he didn’t say much of anything else. Sora fidgeted, uncomfortable in his silence.

“…I’m sorry I asked about-”

“I don’t want to talk about him anymore,” Riku snapped, gritting his teeth, and arching his neck in the direction away from Sora. It was about all he could do, if he were trying to regain a certain level of privacy while he battled down his own drug influenced emotions.

“Are you hungry?” The Hero whispered, after several long minutes of silence. Riku had been motionless, and Sora, by contrast, couldn’t stop squirming.

“No,” was all Riku responded with, and though Sora didn’t quite believe him, that too he let drop.

                                                                     ~~~                                                      

It had been four days since Sora had found Riku in front of his house. Three since he’d been awake and coherent. In that time, the man had managed to gather enough of his strength back that he could manage small tasks like lifting his arms and turning over on his side. He could even keep himself upright if Sora helped him sit up. And he was using every ounce of that strength to oppose Sora.

The brunette still had not managed to convince Riku to eat anything, and Riku could tell it was beginning to worry him, but he couldn’t muster the energy to care. His stomach had been in knots for days now. His head was pounding when it was clear, and when it wasn’t, the drugged tea made him so dizzy he could barely keep his eyes open without feeling like he might be sick.

So he stayed in his cubby hole, preferring to bundle up in the fur blanket Sora had brought him and put his back toward the door. He spoke little and sipped at the tea when Sora presented it to him, only in smaller amounts. Then he would drift back into a hazy slumber. By the fourth day, Sora must have decided it was time to use a firmer hand.

“Riku.” The boy pulled back the demon’s curtain and crouched by his side. As per usual, Riku had all of his blankets wrapped around him, his injured arm holding a pillow close to his face.

He groaned softly in response to Sora’s intrusion.

“Come on, Riku,” the boy laid a hand on Riku’s shoulder. “You have to get up. You have to eat something.”

“I’m not hungry,” Riku grumbled.

“I find that hard to believe,” the Hero scoffed. “When was the last time you ate?”

Riku was quiet at that, silent with the knowledge that it had been even longer than Sora was imagining.

“…I feel nauseous,” he finally admitted.

“That’s because you’re half starved,” Sora argued though thinly veiled exasperation. “You can’t drink all that tea on an empty stomach, you’ll make yourself sick.”

He didn’t move. Sora spoke like he couldn’t believe Riku didn’t know this, and that annoyed him. No one had attended him like this since…

When was the last time anyone had cared for him like this? He had sharp memories of childhood illnesses that his uncle had nursed him through. Was that the last time? He hadn’t gotten sick or hurt as must when he was older. Had anyone looked after him once in his adult life?

“Come on, I’m not waiting anymore. You’re getting up.”

“No.” Riku pulled his shoulder away from Sora’s touch.

“I wasn’t asking this time. You are getting up,” the Hero said, with an air of authority.

Riku made a noise of surprised protest when Sora slid his hands under his waist and knees and began to drag him out of the storage closet by force. He scrambled for some purchase, his arms flailing, but there was nothing to cling to except his pillows, which he released when they started to come with him. Sora hoisted him into the air like he weighed less than a child, cradling him in his arms, and Riku could do little but find a grip on Sora’s shoulders to prevent himself from slipping.

“Think you can stand?” Sora asked. But Riku merely blinked at him with wide, incredulous eyes. Unfazed, Sora tipped Riku’s feet down towards the ground and helped the man right himself.

Riku balanced unsteadily on his feet, swaying when Sora released him like the slightest breeze might tip him over, but he didn’t fall. Satisfied he could hold his own weight for a moment, Sora smiled and turned his back to him. “Wait here for a second.”

Riku glanced behind him to catch a glimpse of where Sora was running off to, but the effect was so dizzying he had to return his gazed back to the floor, feeling feint. The strength of his legs was questionable at best, and his stomach had flipped uneasily when Sora stood him up, making his feel queasy. The kitchen table was only a few feet away. If he could just sit down…

A single step had him pitching forward, his knees betraying him, and he sucked in a gasp as the floor that he had previously not wanted to leave made to welcome him back. But his plummet was hastily interrupted by Sora’s arms winding around his waist and propping him back up. His injured should protested the mistreatment.

“Careful,” Sora warned him, though not unkindly. “Not so fast, you might hurt yourself.”

It was the most absurdly annoying piece of advice that he could have possibly given in that moment, Riku was certain.

“Careful?” Riku snapped back at him. “Do you even know the meaning of the word!” Suddenly the medicinal tea he’d had earlier threatened to make a sudden appearance and he felt his skin turn clammy.

“Stars,” he swore, breathy, swaying despite Sora’s support. “Please. Just put me down.” Riku had meant for it to be a demand, but it just came out desperate and tired, even to his own ears.

“Of course,” Sora said, agreeably. “But here, put this on first.” Sora edged out from under Riku’s weight, mindful to make sure his charge wasn’t going to topple again. He held up a red bundle of cloth Riku hadn’t even realized he’d been carrying, gave it a tug, and unfurled it to the ground. It was a chiton, one continuous robe unlike the two-piece ones he typically preferred. Sora wound it around Riku’s body expertly and tied the folds around the man’s waist with a sash, then pulling the remaining fabric over Riku’s chest to one of his shoulders and clasping it there with a wolf head pin.

“There,” the Hero said, clearly pleased with himself. “Now I can still get to your bandages.

Riku looked down at himself, heat creeping up his neck and into his ears. The chiton was ridiculously short on him, and while he hadn’t been shy of a little skin in the last hundred and fifty years or so, the skirt that crept up high on his upper thighs was practically more indecent than being naked. Not to mention the discomfort he felt at donning such a bright and noticeable color.

“This is yours,” Riku said with a start, looking up to glower at Sora.

The brunette merely laughed. “Of course it is. Sorry it’s a little small. But your clothes were in tatters, what else was I supposed to do with you?”

“I look ridiculous,” the man grumbled, self-consciously rubbing at his injured arm.

“More ridiculous than sitting at the breakfast table in your underwear?” Sora shot back, smug. “Come on, don’t worry about it so much. Sit.” He guided Riku the remaining distance to the table and helped him into a chair. Then, when he noticed that Riku was shivering faintly, grabbed one of the thinner blankets from the pile and draped it over Riku’s shoulders.

Riku snatched it around himself and leveled Sora with a warning glare, but the Hero didn’t pay him much heed, instead focusing his attention on setting plates of food on the table in front of him. Riku was, he admitted, begrudgingly grateful that Sora was so observant, but wasn’t about to let him know that. As if he needed more to fuel that increasingly large head the Hero boasted.

Sora sat opposite of him and scooted in his chair. It was then that the scent of the food drifted over to Riku, filling the air around him and causing his stomach to clench down painfully on itself. He practically winced, gritting his teeth against the sudden wave of hunger that threatened to overwhelm him. If Sora noticed, he said nothing, reaching out for a biscuit, and spreading a golden honey over the top. Riku waited, touching nothing, uncertainty painting his features. It had been so long since he’d last shared a meal with anyone that being here, watching Sora sit down for his breakfast, was almost surreal.

The Hero must have caught him staring, or noticed that he wasn’t eating even now, because he placed his short knife down on his plate and flashed Riku a gentle smile. “No need to be shy.” Riku made an inelegant noise at that, but still remained motionless, so Sora tried again.

“What kind of food do you eat? Do you like sweet things, or savory? Do you have a favorite?”

Did he have a favorite? Riku cooked for himself, but being born Spartan and raised without the comforts of such a luxury, more often than not his own skills were lackluster, relying more on substance than quality. And it was never at the level that Sora had. On his behalf, Sora had laid out multiple dishes, hoping to grab Riku’s interest in at least one. The table top was littered with small terracotta bowls and plates, most filled with mixed fruits and berries, others had assorted nuts, one held a little mound of hard boiled eggs. There were also biscuits and small glass jars glistening with jams and honey.

“I’m… not sure,” Riku admitted, searching his memories for something more substantial to offer. Surely he’d had a favorite meal as a child right? Yet he was met with a dark emptiness in his mind that stung when he tried to work past it. Hastily, he soothed away the pain, disregarding the hole in his memories with an efficient dismissal.

Sora frowned. “You can have this stuff, right? I don’t really know what your people eat. Do you need something else?”

Your _people_. Not your _kind_. It was a stark difference from what he knew and was used to, one so subtle that Sora probably didn’t even realize he’d said it.

“This is fine,” Riku spoke softly, finally reaching out for a hard boiled egg and taking a delicate bite. But the taste of salt washed over his tongue for only a matter of seconds before his appetite slammed back into him at full force and he proceeded to shove the whole thing into his mouth, propriety be damned.

He plucked another from the bowl and Sora watched motionlessly as he devoured it. Riku was so focused that he barely registered Sora moving to fill Riku’s plate for him with a few other things from the table. A plum, two biscuits dripping with a sticky apricot jam, another egg, and a small slab of salted fish. Riku grabbed for the biscuit Sora offered, desperately wedging a rather large chunk into both his cheeks and resisting the urge to groan happily around his mouth full.

Sora lifted a clay pitcher and poured Riku a glass of a red liquid, holding it out and politely lowering his gaze to not appear to be staring. After only a second’s hesitation, Riku accepted that as well, holding it up to his lips with both hands and taking long, draining swallows. He was half expecting tea again, since that had been all he’d had in nearly a week. But instead, a sweet summer wine washed away all traces of the bread, cut with water so not be so strong.

The man jumped when a warm hand brushed the back of his wrist, nearly spilling the wine. Sora didn’t move his hand, but he did offer an apologetic smile. “You should slow down,” he said. “You don’t want to make yourself sick.”

 Riku wasn’t sure exactly if he appreciated the advice, not with the way his stomach complained at him, but the sharp bitterness he’d felt at Sora earlier was fading, and when he pulled his hand away, it was without his usual bite. Sora let himself be brushed off with his annoyingly good natured spirit, and returned to his own plate when it appeared that Riku wasn’t going to argue.

They ate the remainder of their meal in relative silence, the man doing his best to pace himself, and near the end of it, Riku felt his head was no longer throbbing and his body shaking a bit less. Sora had started to clear their dishes away and he slumped further into his chair, pulling his blanket tighter around his shoulders and letting a strange warmth settle over him. The comfortable drowsiness was foreign, especially in place other than the safety of his own home, but not totally unwelcome.

“I was thinking,” Sora started, slowly, “of asking Kairi to come over again. To look at your injuries,” he clarified.

The was enough to snap him out of his lethargy. Riku’s back straightened and he felt some of the color drain from his face. “What?”

Sora glanced back at him from his place by the sink. “She is one of Thebes best healers. Better than I am for sure. She could see to your back.”

He was met with silence. Riku only squirmed but did not speak. His thoughts raced with possibilities, most of them wrought with painful memories that he did not feel emotionally equipped to deal with. He must have looked appropriately distressed, because when Sora spoke again, it was with the same overly patient tone that he’d been using all week, the kind one might use not to frighten a wild animal.

“Or if you want… I could maybe…” He sighed, running his hands under the water he drew from the pump and wiping them dry against his chiton. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m pretty bad at handling all of this. It has been a very long month.”

A month. Had it really been that long?

“I am not some glass doll that needs to be ‘handled’, Hero,” Riku quipped. “Why are you tiptoeing around me now?”

Sora’s sapphire blue eyes widened at having been called out. “I didn’t mean-” he paused, then started over. “You have obviously had a worse time than I have, though I don’t know exactly what happened to you. And I realized that… I might have been making it worse by pushing you.”

The corners of Riku’s mouth turned down and an emotion he wasn’t sure he pinpoint tightened his chest. “You shouldn’t concern yourself too much with offending someone like me.”

The brunette’s distaste was nearly palpable. “Someone like you? Someone who saved my life three times when they could have let me die and spared themselves some trouble? Or killed me? Why don’t you let me worry about who’s feelings I should concern myself with, Riku.”

The feeling in his chest spread throughout his bones and Riku found himself holding back (unsuccessfully) a snort of laughter. “There it is.”

“There what is?” Sora bristled.

“That ridiculous overconfidence you have that sends you storming headfirst into situations you don’t understand. I suppose girls around here find that charming?” Riku was baiting him, he knew that, but couldn’t help the little thrill of delight he got every time Sora’s face flushed with annoyance.

“I suppose you don’t?” Sora snapped back.

“I never said that.”

It was out before Riku’s mind had time to catch up with his mouth. They both froze, as much as two unmoving people _can_ freeze, staring at one another in mirrored expressions of trepidation. Sora was the first to break the silence, attempting to shrug off the awkwardness the way one would shrug off an ill-fitting coat. Gracelessly.

“…Maybe I would have a better understanding of things if a certain friend of mine were more forthcoming.”

“Friend? We are not friends,” Riku insisted.

“Why not?” Sora smirked. “You just admitted I was charming.”

Riku bared his teeth at the boy in a predatory annoyance. “I’ve been wrong before.”

Seeming unperturbed by the imminent threat in Riku’s snarling, Sora retook his seat at the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “How about this? You and I make a pact. You try to be a little more honest and I’ll try to be a little less… headstrong.”

Riku snorted. “I’ll believe that when I see it. But in the spirit of total honesty, you should know that I think you’re an annoying little prat, with over infatuated ideas of honor and self-purpose, and a crippling lack of judgement skills that might one day save your ass. And if you had half the sense the gods gave a goose you’d know when to leave well enough alone, but since you clearly don’t, you’re liable to wind up getting yourself killed within the year without proper guidance. And no, I’m not counting Philoctetes in that category.”

Sora’s gaping mouth snapped shut with an auditory click, and seeming appropriately chastised for once, Riku continued, softer now. He probably hadn’t deserved _all_ of that.

“But… you are also one of the few people I know who still tries to help me even after deciding that I’m a monster, so… thank you.”

“…I don’t think you’re a monster,” Sora whispered.

Riku stared at him, searching for what, he wasn’t sure. A hint of sarcasm maybe? Flattery? Anything that might suggest deception. But the boy was a perfect canvas of honesty and that expertly pouty lip was beginning to work him over.

“Less headstrong huh?” Riku was hushed, reverential even. “That would almost be a crying shame. We’ll see how long you last.”

It was as much of an agreement as Sora was getting.


	9. Chapter 9

            Sora’s smoothed out the edges of the yellowing parchment with his palms, careful not to crinkle the scroll spread out across the small round table in his bedroom corner. He hadn’t dared to open it again since the day Eraqus had given it to him, having been overwhelmed with the feeling that he was invading Riku’s privacy. But, he rationalized with himself, it wasn’t like this was his diary. It wasn’t like he was pawing through the man’s underwear drawer. He’d simply found it in, on his own, in an ambiguous library, with no real proof that it had anything to do with his unexpected house guest.

            If Riku had heard that excuse, he would have called it absolute horseshit. He’d be right too.

            Riku himself was quite the odd roommate. He rarely left the kitchen storage closet, despite Sora’s offer to move him somewhere he might be more comfortable. He insisted that Sora keep all of the window shutters closed, wincing whenever the sunlight would shine through the cracks and brush his still-healing skin. He went into full battle mode nearly every time a customer came into the medicine shop at the front of the building, even though he still wobbled on his legs like a newly whelped fawn, and Sora had to talk him down more than once. Still, even though Riku looked at most acts of hospitality with acute skepticism, he was not nearly as high strung as when Sora had first met him.

            The scroll crackled softly when Sora unfurled it. He was only skimming this time, not going to let himself get too caught up in whatever horrors lay within it. He was curious mainly about the summoning spells Eraqus had mentioned. Phil had not gotten into the specifics of higher level casting such as this, claiming that he wasn’t yet ready for that kind of magic, but it was his understanding that once you summoned a demon, the very souls of the two could be bound together until either the contract between the two was broken, or until one of the two died.

            Although, the extra books on the subject, the ones he’d acquired by going back to the library for a day earlier, had somewhat of a loose definition of the word ‘contract’. There was a ritual, but he wasn’t sure if an agreement had to be made or if it was simply that one overpowered the other, but he suspected that it could be either.

            The tome that he was currently thumbing through, alongside his scroll, was a basic text on high level magic, but didn’t have a lot to say on the subject. It did mention that it was possible to break someone else’s contract, but to do so, one would only have to create a stronger bond that could overtake the first. Simple enough. The only problem was that if that were all it took, someone probably would have succeeded by now.

            That was really what it all came down to, didn’t it? Was he really going to try to cast a spell so far over his head that Phil had thought it was unwise to even talk to him about that kind of magic? And would Riku ever agree to him trying it?

            Sora knew the answer to the latter question, and despite trying to keep his worries at bay, that was the thought that kept pressing to the forefront of his mind. No, Riku most certainly would not approve of the idea. And after several long days of bed rest, he was finally strong enough that he could leave if he wanted, and might if Sora pushed him too far. His plans would have to be kept secret if he wanted any chance of success.

            His saving grace came to him in a footnote of all places. The boy had been nearly ready to give up and set his reading aside for a while, but as he began to roll up his scroll, something caught his eye. It was barely more than a scribble in the corner, like it’s author had haphazardly scratched it out so they could come back and revisit the idea later, but had never gotten the chance.

_December 11 th,_

_Multiple sightings of ghostlike apparition throughout month; possible personal connection to villager allows for summoning invocation to go unnoticed by village authorities._

            Sora had read somewhere that the more you knew about a demon, the easier it was to summon one and the stronger the bond. Did having a personal relationship achieve the same thing? He admitted that Riku and himself were still in the early stages of an uneasy alliance, but from what he knew of Riku, that was still quite a bit more than anyone else had had the privilege of. He could work with that.

            The distinctive crack of pottery shattering against wood pulled the Hero’s attention back to the present and he groaned inwardly. He was beginning to think that if he left Riku alone for more than a few hours, he’d probably light the house on fire. As it was, he was struggling to decide if the mischief Riku had already gotten into was actually due to his currently impaired state, or if he was causing trouble on purpose to irk him.

            Leaving his bedroom behind and going to investigate revealed the man missing from his usual spot in the kitchen. Panic began to swell inside him, tightening his chest as Sora started a search of his house. Riku hadn’t left had he? Without saying anything? Sora knew that it shouldn’t surprise him, but the hurt still came as a shock. He’d hoped to have been working past the long and sudden disappearances, the weeks without so much as a word. Was he doomed to always be fretting over Riku’s safety like this?

            Muttered curses filtered in from past the door to the herb shop, relieving knots of worry Sora was surprised had manifested so quickly. Sora pushed past the heavy curtain that cordoned his tiny home and turned to find his warrior friend crouched to one knee in the shadows, gingerly collecting shattered pieces of a clay plate that was previously being used to hold a few aloe vera leaves (now also scattered across the floor).

            Riku’s movements were jerky and awkward, partially due to the arm that Sora had strapped into a sling around his shoulder, and partially from his efforts not to step on anything sharp with his bare feet. The man had refused to even talk about Kairi coming back over to look at his back again, even though she would definitely have done a much better job than Sora had. He had mentioned that her healing powers would be useless on someone like him, and that he didn’t think they needed her for traditional methods, though Sora suspected that Riku secretly had some kind of apprehension towards the girl.

            “Riku, what are you doing now?” Sora asked, not even bothering to hide his exasperation.

            Sea foam green eyes flicked up to pierce Sora from across the room, irritation pinching his features into his typical scowl, though whether it was directed at Sora or himself, who could say.

            “I don’t understand how that old hag manages to get these down from shelves that high. There’s not even a step-stool,” the man grumbled back.

            Sighing, Sora crouched down in front of Riku to help him collect the broken pottery. “These have to be kept cool or they will dry out, so she keeps them away from the window,” he explained.

            Riku did not respond, but peaking up at him from under lowered eyes, Sora noticed stubborn set of Riku’s jaw had softened, if only slightly. The light emanating from Riku’s candlestick lit his features with a warming radiance that both softened and hardened his features. His silvery hair caught the flickering fire light, reflecting back it’s golden shades like a mirror. It made Sora want to run his fingers through it, to find out if it was as soft as it looked. But that same warm light sharpened the steely edge of Riku’s gaze, reminiscent of lightning on a stormy sea. And reminding him that he might very well lose his hand if he tried it.

            Sora lightly shook his head, trying to rid himself of the errant thoughts. “If you need something, you only have to ask, and I can help,” he offered.

            “I don’t need any help,” Riku muttered.

            Sora snickered. “So says the man who needed me to dress him this morning.” Riku shot him a withering glare, but Sora plowed forward, recognizing the threat for a bluff. “So, I take it you don’t want this then?” He held up one of the longer aloe leaves.

            Riku hesitated and then reached out to take it from him, but Sora tilted it away and gestured with a little nod of his head toward the doorway back to his kitchen. Exhaling deeply through his nose, Riku collected his little pile of shards and followed the brunette back to his home to sit at his table.

            The Hero fetched a small wooden bowl and a knife from his cupboard and took a seat next to Riku while he started to meticulously peel away the green rind. Collecting the slippery clear gel from middle and dropping a few strips into his bowl, Sora flipped his knife over in his palm to crush the aloe into a paste with the hilt.

            “Where does it hurt the most?” he asked.

            The smallest smirk, barely noticeable, tugged at the corners of Riku’s mouth and a spark of amusement crept up to his eyes as he lifted one of his long legs and deposited it across Sora’s lap. A dusty pink flush warmed Sora’s cheeks as he stared down at the limb, trying to rein in his surprise. Clearly, he must not have been as subtle as he hoped because when he looked back at Riku nervously, as if asking permission, the warrior simply crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow.

            Composing himself, Sora turned back to the task at hand and began inspecting his leg. Most of the man’s burns had healed by now, which seemed surprisingly fast in Sora’s opinion, and hadn’t left so much as a faint scar. But there were still a few that had seared deep into Riku’s skin and even now left behind lingering raw patches. The worst of these stretched taut over Riku’s calf and extended to just above his knee. It was a deep red, lined with purple around the edges, and reminded Sora of a very severe sunburn. He’d asked Riku what had happened only once after their agreement to be more transparent, but when the man’s eyes darkened, Sora rushed to assure him that he didn’t have to speak of it if he didn’t want to and left it at that.

            Sora spread the silky substance in a generous layer at the base of the injury and started to work his way up in small circles, and though Riku didn’t flinch or pull away, Sora didn’t miss the way his shoulders tensed, and his breath seemed to stall.

            “You know,” Sora hedged, “for a guy with such a dangerous job, you don’t seem to have any scars. Well, except for that one.” He waved a hand at Riku’s chest where he’d grown accustomed to seeing the dark rune etched above Riku’s heart. “How is that?”

            Riku frowned and rubbed at the brand absentmindedly, and Sora realized a little late that the man might not have appreciated the observation. Sora could practically hear the gears of Riku’s guarded thoughts turning, deciding how to answer a question most people didn’t bother asking.

            “Xemnas usually heals me if it’s serious,” he finally replied. “If it’s not, my people are naturally very fast healers. It’s only magical injuries like this that take a lot of time.”

            “How does he do that if you can’t be healed with light magic? I’ve never heard of any other way to cast healing spells.” Sora cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. “Do demons have a different way? One that doesn’t hurt you?”

            Riku shook his head. “No, there’s no other way. Healing can only be preformed with light magic, there’s no getting around it. It’s just…” he paused, looking like he was trying to prepare an explanation, and Sora waited patiently. Sora was growing used to his silences. Often during the times when Riku could be coaxed out into the open for something to eat, he would sit at Sora’s table and watch, eerily quiet, while Sora laid out their meal. Sometimes Sora would speak and Riku would just listen, but would not respond; other times, when he stopped because Riku didn’t seem to be listening, he would suddenly remark on something Sora had said several minutes ago, like he’d been holding onto it and waiting for an opportunity to bring it back up. He made for an odd conversationalist, and it gave Sora the impression that he wasn’t used to people wanting to hear his opinions during casual talk. The Hero occasionally had to remind himself that if he didn’t allow for pauses in the conversation, Riku would never interject on his own.

            “You are thinking about it wrong,” Riku finally said. “Demon’s would die without light magic like anyone else would. It’s just that we need a significantly smaller amount. Gods live in the light of the sun, demons and the fae in the shadows, and humans in the middle, but without a balance, none of us could survive.”

            Sora nodded, encouraging Riku to keep going, and working the aloe around the side of his knee.

            “…The problem with gods, or humans who have the affinity, and demons mixing magics is that we will can throw each other off balance. Darkness is harder to control, so most of us spend years mastering it. But light is not as difficult, and the consequences aren’t as severe, so most gods walk around without any concern for who they might affect. You are like a bonfire raging at full force constantly, and all I need is a candle. You have no self-control.”

            “So,” Sora started after letting that absorb, “if that’s true, then how does Xemnas do it?”

            Riku shrugged. “Xemnas is different from the other gods. He had to adapt to the Underworld, which meant learning to control light and darkness. He casts healing spells the same way anyone else would, but with me, he has the discipline needed to hold back the brunt of his strength so that I’m not harmed by it.”

            “So that means if me or Kairi learned how, we could do the same thing?”

            The man made an inelegant noise. “You don’t have the discipline needed to cast magic normally in the first place. What makes you think you could do it on such a small scale? You would almost definitely burn me.” Riku pondered the idea for a moment. “The girl has some potential though.”

            Sora frowned. He knew that he had asked Riku to be more honest with him, but it still caught him off guard when Riku changed from soft spoken and calculating to brutally vicious in a heartbeat. He felt like he was being given whiplash from the warrior’s unpredictability. “I think I could learn,” he argued. “You could teach me.”

            Riku quieted once again, evaluating Sora with a gaze that missed nothing. Then he shook his head. “I don’t know how. Theoretically, it _might_ have been possible for me to do that kind of thing once, but… not anymore. Besides,” he added quickly when Sora opened his mouth to protest. “I’ll be leaving soon, anyway.”

            “What?” Sora straightened in his chair. “You can’t go! You haven’t been here that long. And you’ve only just started walking again.”

            Riku winced and sucked a hard breath through his teeth and Sora realized in alarm that he was clutching Riku by the calf much harder than he’d meant to, like he was trying to physically pin the man to his chair.

            “Sorry, sorry!” He released his grip and Riku nodded his forgiveness but still pulled his leg away and offered his arm instead. Sora scooted his chair closer and took Riku’s wrist to hold him steady while he administered the same treatment to his elbow. “Where would you go?”

            “Home, I guess. I can’t live in your broom closet forever.”

            Sora scowled. “You would go back to Xemnas without reason, without him even knowing that you had escaped, just to get away from me?”

            “What? No, don’t be stupid,” Riku chided. “I wouldn’t go back to him until he finds out on his own that I’m gone. I don’t actually live in the Underworld, you know.”

            That made Sora pause. “Oh… No, that’s… exactly what I thought.” He pinkened at the admission. “Where _do_ you live then?”

            A flash a mischief lit Riku’s eyes, but he still gave a lazy roll of his shoulder, like it was of no importance. “In the Cyclades. Near Thera.”

            “Thera,” Sora deadpanned. “You live on a volcano. Of course.”

            “I like the warmth,” he said casually. “Besides, the whole island is not a volcano,” Riku argued. “Only part. And I said I lived _near_ it, not _on_ it.”

            “Wh-“ Sora tossed his arms in a show of exasperation, and Riku took back his own. “It’s barely even an island _at all_ anymore, after the last eruption. And what is that supposed to mean? You either live on it, or you don’t. There are like twenty other major islands in the surrounding area, if you don’t live on Thera, you’d have to live on one of the others.”

            “Whatever you say, Hero.”

            “Stop that.” Sora narrowed his eyes. “If you don’t want to say, just tell me, don’t make up stories.”

            Riku huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I am not making up stories. But fine; I don’t want to say. I like my privacy.” He punctuated each word of his last statement, making it clear he was growing weary of Sora’s constant prodding.

            Sora slumped in his chair and crossed his arms as well, mirroring Riku’s defensive posture. They both stared at each other, Riku’s gaze impassive and calculating, and Sora’s stubborn but cautious.

            “…Are you ever going to stop calling me ‘Hero’?” Sora finally asked.

            “Sure,” Riku responded with an easy confidence that Sora should have recognized as a forewarning. “How do you feel about Wonder Boy?”

~~~

            By some miracle, when Sora suggested that Riku stay at least two more nights, Riku didn’t argue. He still hovered in that stage of healing where all he wanted to do was sleep, and Sora suspected that maybe he only agreed because he was content having Sora do all of the cooking and cleaning while he napped. Sora didn’t mind taking care of him, if it meant the man could have a few extra days of peace. Plus, he needed the time to prepare, because if Riku was planning on leaving, who knows how long it would be before he’d see the man again. Any action he planned on taking would have to be done soon.

            This was how he found himself garnering the strange looks from the clerk at the local candle shop two days later, loading up an arm full of the woman’s collection. And again, from the cloth merchant, who looked at him with abject horror when he asked how long Sora would like the ribbon he was purchasing, and in turn, Sora began to unravel the spool and lay it out on the floor to measure.

            He’d finally found a ritual in another one of Eraqus’ old scrolls, and despite having said that he didn’t read much, the old librarian was beginning to comment on how he might have a new regular around the place. This particular writing was older than even the scroll containing Riku’s history, but it must have had a very careful owner in the past, because it had been kept in quite pristine condition.

            Sora slept throughout the rest of the day after that, and pulled himself out of bed sometime when then moon was high and the city dark. From what he could gather from the script, the incantation would have to be preformed at the first light, which would hopefully make things easier because Riku didn’t typically wake until nearly noon. The ritual, titled **_αναλαμβάνω υποχρέωση_** , was tricky to read, much of the language being so old and nearly foreign it was hard to discern. It had taken him an entire day to determine exactly what supplies he would need, and the correct order for all of the words. Now all he needed was a little luck and to pray to the gods that this worked. But if it didn’t, the worst-case scenario was that Riku would probably be upset with him, and Xemnas might find out he was trying to spring his favorite minion. Both were consequences that he could live with.

            The Hero left his house with only an hour to spare before dawn, but he imagined he would use every minute of it. Kairi’s grandmothers medicine shop was too far into the city limits, and he wouldn’t risk casting a spell like this so close to other people. Lucky for him though, the only places that were patrolled by the city watch were the two gates, one to the north, the other to the south, making it easy for someone with his strength to slip over the wall with a small sack tossed over his shoulder. The guards would never expect anyone to try and scale something so high.

            Only a mile into the cover of the neighboring forest and the brunet stopped. The river was filled high with the excess rainfall and spanned wider than he remembered, but he still recognized the place from the time Riku had plunged a dagger through his arm. Sitting down in a patch of grass by the bank, he flipped his bag over to spill out its contents. Candles tumbled out and attempted to roll away, but didn’t get far over the uneven terrain, along with a bundle of red ribbon, his tinderbox, and a small bottle with a bloodstained scrap of fabric stuffed inside.

            The blood had been surprisingly easy to get. Sora still had the old bandages from Riku’s injuries that he had yet to throw out, but as he arranged his candles in a large pattern, he felt an odd sense of dread wash over him. When he got home, he would have to burn the rest, that way no one would ever be able to use them to control Riku ever again; exactly as he was doing now.

            Using a stick, Sora got to work carving out the runes into the dirt around the candles, and draping the ribbon in a wide circle to surround it all three times. He sat just on the outer edge of it and used his fist to press a bowl shaped indentation into the ground in the center. The earth was soft and malleable under his touch, damp enough that it retained the shape he molded with ease. He filled the little crater with a handful of kindling along with the bloodied bandage from Riku. Then, using the short dagger at his belt, Sora pierced the tip of his thumb and let a few drops of blood mix with the kindling.

            The last step was to stretch a section of thin rope all the way across the circle, from the candle that sat in front of his crossed legs, over the top of his kindling, to the candle that sat opposite him. Using the flint from his tinderbox and striking it against his dagger, Sora could just make out the first rays of sunlight casting the sky in tones of dusky blue and pale orange when he started his verse.

            “ ** _στην όψη τόσο του φεγγαριού όσο και του ήλιου_**.” _In the face of both the moon and the sun._

            He struck the flint again, showering sparks onto his little firepit. The edges were beginning to smolder.

            “ ** _Φέρνω αυτές τις ψυχές να προσφέρουν_**.” _I bring these souls to offer._

            Sora struck one more time and then leaned into the circle to blow and coax it to life.

            “ ** _συνδέστε το ένα με το άλλο_**. **_Έτσι ώστε να συνδέονται με το σώμα, με το αίμα και με την καρδιά._**.” _Bind one to another. So that they may be connected to the body, to the blood, and to the heart._

            Just as he was finished, orange flames rose up from the pit and licked at the tinder. The corners of Riku’s bandage curled in at the corners before being engulfed, and the tiny drops of Sora’s blood sizzled, then were snuffed out. His rope that lay over the top crackle softly as it started to fray in the center, before finally snapping. The twin threads curled inward and separated from each other, the flame running down their lengths toward their respective candles.

            Sora held his breath. His blood was pounding in his ears, and he was suddenly very conscious of his surroundings. Every chirp of a bird, rustling of the leaves, or the roaring of the river was amplified when he started to question himself. What if it didn’t work? Would Riku get hurt? Would _he_?

            The fire had reached the end of its journey, the ropes ending just in front of the two candles, but not touching them. It crackled one last time, the very ends of the ropes splitting, and then they both were out with a snap.

            Everything went still then. Even the fire in his pit had died, vanishing, and taking its light with it. Sora glanced around him. The sounds of the forest had all faded away, and the surging of the river was all that could be heard, though it sounded like it came from a much greater distance. He felt light headed and dreamy, a cool peacefulness drifting down to him from above and resting on his shoulders like snow. Inexplicably, he stuck his hands out in front of him, as if he could reach out and touch it.

            Realization that he still couldn’t breathe hit him with a burning in his chest. Sora opened his mouth, but nothing came. He clutched at his clothing, hoping that pulling it away from his body would alleviate the pressure, but it did not. After what must have been several minutes, he teetered to the side, both hands digging into the dirt. He could feel his mouth moving trying to work the air back into his lungs, but they refused to move. When his vision began to blacken at the edges, Sora rested his head against the cool ground.

            Darkness was swirling in front of him, manifesting on the other side of his circle. He assumed he was hallucinating, his mind grasping at shadows before it plunged into unconsciousness. But then, with a sudden abruptness, air was rushing to fill his lungs. He barely heard the ‘woosh’ that accompanied the two candles both lighting at once. Then with a domino effect, the other candles followed, lighting one by one on each side until they made it back to the originals.

            Sora waited, sucking in large gulps of breath, and waiting for the strength to return to his extremities. It was then he noticed the swirling fog from before was not, in fact, a figment of his exhausted mind, but had manifested into something solid. Something humanoid and familiar. Something furious.

“What did you do?”

~~~

            Sora started to push himself up from the forest floor, his arms shaking with the effort. The light from the early morning sun glistened off the dew drops surrounding them, casting Riku in a glorious light, only marred by the livid scowl he wore as he stood up from his crouch.

            “What did you do!” Riku shouted, standing at his full height, and looming over Sora’s casting circle.

            Sora had to blink several times before he could respond, his mind still fighting to catch up to his body. Shakily, he got his feet under him, his hands braced on his knees for support. Were his eyes still playing tricks on him or was there actually a delicate gold chain looped around his wrist and dragging through the dirt? He followed it with his gaze, where it crossed through his circle and reached up to wrap its other end around Riku’s wrist.

            “I… um…” Sora started, elegantly. He straightened and shook his head to clear it, tousling some loose dirt from his brown spikes.

            “I was trying to help,” he started again. “I thought maybe I could break your contract with Xemnas by creating a new one with me…”

            Looking at the enraged expression painting Riku’s features, Sora suddenly wondered what exactly had gone wrong. The summoning appeared to have worked. Riku was here, standing in front of him, and all of his candles had lit, just as they were supposed to. The chain was unexpected, however. It was no thicker than a thread of yarn, but he couldn’t tell how it was supposed to be removed. He didn’t have enough time to properly examine it because out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Riku moving toward him.

            “Is this how you help!?” Riku’s shout nearly merged with the ringing in his head, threatening to overwhelm him. “Did you think that you could just swoop in a fix me with a snap of your fingers? Or did you expect that I would bow down and kiss your feet like everyone else does!”

            After so many days of living with Riku in his home, Sora had begun to recognize the signs in Riku’s body when he went into fight or flight mode (usually fight). The way his muscles tensed just under his skin, how his expression hardened with a determined set to his jaw, the way his body coiled with energy like a snake. All of this was what let him know that Riku was going to hit him, before he had even lifted his arm.

            Knowing all of this, he made no attempt to dodge. He knew Riku was too fast for him anyway.

Riku’s hand rose above his head in way that would have seemed lazy if Sora had not been able to read all of the warning signs. He rolled his shoulder forward, and with it his torso, to connect his hand solidly with Sora’s cheek, palm open.

            No one had actually slapped him before, if you could even call it that. In his home town, most everyone that had a problem with Sora was too afraid of his strength to ever try such a thing, and the remaining few never had a reason. It was certainly not what he had expected. He had seen it before, with children fighting too roughly, or among disgruntled couples in the street, and had never thought it harmful enough to do any actual damage, especially not to him. Like so many other times with Riku, he was mistaken.

            The flat of Riku’s hand struck the side of his face, but it was nothing like the wildly inept version he’d seen at the end of a lover’s scorn. Riku’s hand was braced with the strength of his arm, and behind that he pivoted with the full force of his entire body. The man’s bare feet were planted in ground under him, firm and unmoving, allowing his arm to follow the momentum all the way through the blow.

            Distantly, Sora heard the river, the birds, and the life of the forest retreat along with his vision. He thought dimly that Riku might have broken something, based on the crack his jaw made, the sound reverberating in his ears like someone had struck a gong in his skull. Riku’s fist was clenched in the front of Sora’s chiton, the only thing still keeping him on his feet, and Sora thought he might still be yelling at him.

            “Yes, while we’re at it, let’s _all_ bow down to the mighty Sora. Son of the magnificent sky god, Hero of man, with his new demon pet he keeps chained to his wrist on leash! I can walk a few paces behind you everywhere you go and make faces to scare off any admirers you don’t like.”

            Riku pulled him up to stand on his own, released his clothing, and struck him again in the same spot. Stars bloomed behind Sora’s eyelids and this time he felt his knees hit the soft dirt under him, followed by his shoulders, and then his head. Pain blossomed through the side of his face and the stars danced in front of him, but it didn’t last long. By the time his head hit the ground, pillowed by the mossy floor, all light had winked away, and he surrendered, allowing the darkness to envelope his body.

            Sora came to again in what must not have been much more than a few minutes later based on how little the sun had risen. His back was braced against the curve of a tree, with his head resting against his own shoulder. There was a steady throbbing in the left side of his face that extended up his neck and morphed into a splitting headache; he couldn’t quite determine where the pain started or where it ended.

            Sora pushed away from the tree trunk and tried to get his bearings. He felt like a rag doll that had been tossed and drowned in the waves of the open sea, then plucked from the water and rung out to dry. Riku sat on one of the trees massive roots with his knees pulled up enough that he could rest his arms on them. He still had the roiling battel energy etched into his posture, but now there was a different tension saddled alongside his anger. Fear.

            Sora stayed quiet and watched him for a while, until he thought that the danger of being knocked out again had lessened.

            “You’re still here…” Sora coughed, his throat scratchy.

            “I cannot leave, you imbecile,” Riku snapped. There was still a deadly edge to his voice, but he did not seem surprised that Sora was awake, despite refusing to look at him.

            Gingerly, Sora reached up and prodded at his cheek to survey the damage. Swelling had already started, and the skin was hot and tender to the touch. If a nasty bruise wasn’t already forming, he’d have one by mid-day.

            “I think you dislocated my jaw…” the Hero mumbled.

            “I did not.” Riku sounded very sure of himself, and so Sora felt compelled to believed him. “Cracked it maybe. You deserve it.”

            A surge of anger washed over him so suddenly he saw his vision turning red, but with his head still spinning, he could only stand very slowly. “You could at least pretend to be sorry you know!”

            “Sorry? For what _I_ did to _you_??” Riku whipped his head around to glare daggers at the brunet.

            “Yes! You know, that’s kind of what a person does when they hurt someone who only wanted to help them. They apologize!” Sora could hear his voice raising higher and higher, feeling himself losing control. What was wrong with him? He had been upset a second ago, but this uncontrollable tsunami of emotion was unprecedented. He felt wound up so tight he might be knocked off his feet.

            Riku swung his legs down from his tree limb and pointed a finger at Sora’s chest. The chain around his wrist swung like a pendulum when he did, but unlike last time, Sora refused to let it steal his attention.

            “Know this, Hero.” The demon was steady and restrained, causing the hair on the back of Sora’s arms and neck to stand on end. “The day I apologize to a piece of manipulative scum like you is the day I throw myself into a volcano.”

            Something in Sora snapped, and he lunged at Riku. The demon must have seen it coming because he jolted into a battle-ready stance like it was second nature, but right before impact, Sora thought he saw the taller man wince.

            The Hero barreled head first into Riku with an angry cry, wrapping both arms around the width of his chest. The move was clearly not what Riku had been expecting, that or he was resigned to meeting Sora head on, because he did not try to dodge. The pair tumbled backwards into the undergrowth and rolled. Riku’s back struck the ground hard under them, and his head rebounded. They struggled, locked together through a tangle of limbs, with Riku batting away most of Sora’s attempts to hit him. Most of them.

            When Sora pulled back his fist for a punch, Riku took advantage of the opening and struck out with his elbow to Sora’s stomach. The Hero hissed and doubled over slightly, and Riku followed up by locking their legs and rolling, straining for the high ground. Sora shouted, and they both tumbled through the dirt, kicking, and punching and flailing. The chain linking their wrists together mysteriously was no where in sight, or at least, Sora didn’t notice it getting in his way.

            This was absolutely not the way Phil had trained him. Their fight had no finesse, no skill, not one lick of his training. Their fight was no more a battle than a drunken tavern brawl. Riku fought back hard, but with a more cautious energy, his eyes wild and unnerved. Sora barely noticed when a misplaced step, one shove too hard, sent them careening into the swollen river with a splash.

            Blood stained the water when Sora’s elbow slammed into Riku’s nose, and Riku retaliated by grabbing a fistful of Sora’s hair and dragging him under. They thrashed together in the swirling water and the current drug them farther and farther away from the bank.

            Sora found himself facing Riku’s back under the surface of the current, and without thinking, he looped his arm around the man’s neck in a headlock and squeezed. Riku twisted and kicked, both hands coming up to clutch and Sora’s arm and rip at him. Sharp, daggerlike claws sank into Sora’s forearm, but he refused to release, even when blood rushed passed his head.

            Overwhelming panic abruptly slammed into him. His heart stuttered in his chest, and his stomach clamped down on itself so hard he thought he might be sick. Riku, whether he noticed the state Sora was in or not, chose this at the perfect moment to swing his elbow back and crack Sora across the temple. Not thinking about the consequences, Sora gasped and let go, allowing water to fill his lungs. Riku kicked free of him as soon as Sora’s grip loosened and was the first to break the surface of the river. He sucked in large swallows of air and kicked towards the shore, Sora following seconds behind him.

            They both pulled themselves up from the water, Riku gasping and shaking, while Sora coughed hard, trying to expel the water from his body. When he had caught his breath, he glanced over at Riku, who was pushing his soaking long hair back away from his face.

            “I-I’m sorry,” Sora stammered, his eyes locked on the angry red lines surrounding Riku’s neck. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m never like this…”

            His heart was still racing, fear coiled so deep in his stomach it nearly caused him to choke on his words. Riku shook his head but refused to meet his gaze.

            “Are you so magically deaf that you can’t even recognize when you’ve botched a spell?” Riku’s voice was oddly tight. “Does this look like a summoning to you? Never mind, don’t answer that.” The man sighed and rubbed his injured shoulder. “You didn’t bind us through a contract. You just bound us. Physically.”

            Sora grappled with the information. He’d only heard of what Riku was talking about a few times before but had never actually heard of someone using such a thing except for barbaric reasons such as containing prisoners and slaves, or sometimes as a method of torture by inflicting pain on one person and having it extend to multiple. But if what Riku said was true, that would mean that the invasion of emotion that had him acting so irrationally was not actually his at all.

            The brunet glanced over at his companion and once again noticed the tension in shoulders, then the realization dawned on him and he swore.

            He rushed to his feet and hurried back to where they had left his casting circle. They had drifted quite a way, but he could still see the glow of his candles in the early morning light, shimmering in the distance. He made it only halfway back, and then a yank on his wrist stopped him. He was expecting to find Riku grabbing his arm, but instead the gold chain looped around his wrist was pulled taut, connecting yards away to Riku, who grunted in pain when the force pulled against his arm.

            Sora stopped, a ghost of discomfort stinging his own shoulder in the same spot he had been tending to Riku throughout the week. Cursing himself again, he walked back over to Riku, the chain magically shortening as he got closer. When he was standing by Riku’s side, the man twisted into a low crouch, a dagger appearing him his hand with a flash of a little purple tattoo glowing over a knuckle.

            “Stay away from me,” he hissed.

            Sora raised his palms upward submissively. “I just want to talk. Please.”

            He held out his hand to help Riku up, and much to his horror, Riku flinched. Sora opened his mouth to try to convey his sincerity but couldn’t find the words. Then, surprisingly, Riku accepted and pulled himself up. They limped together back over to where Sora’s things were still discarded in a pile and slumped against the nearest tree.

            It hadn’t been uncomfortably cool when he’d left his house earlier, but now, with the sun only just beginning to warm the earth, and being soaking wet, he and Riku both pulled their arms and legs to their chests and shivered in the morning chill, neither speaking. Riku was trying his best to ring out his hair with his hands, and then to wipe away some of the blood that still dripped from his nose. Sora prodded at the deep gashes that lined his arm.

            “…Do you have claws?” he asked, curiously.

            Shrugging, Riku inclined his head to the side. “Sometimes.”

            “They aren’t like… poisonous, are they?”

            “…You may want to put an antibacterial or something on that when we go back.”

            Sora nodded and lowered his arm to his lap. “…I’m sorry. Really. I-” he paused, and then started over. “What you said before, about me trying to control you, it’s not true. I swear. I never meant to trap you like this. I thought if I could sever your contract with Xemnas and make one with me instead, I could let you go.”

            “Why should I believe you?” Riku narrowed his eyes at the boy. “You’ve been trying to keep me from leaving since the day we met. Your every move is for the purpose of either trying to become a god, or trying to fit in with the humans. Why should I believe you aren’t already exactly like them?”

            The Hero frowned. “…You’re right. I don’t have any way to prove it to you. All I have is my word; whatever happened between you and my family, I want to fix it. Here,” Sora got to his knees excitedly. “If you just tell me how to reverse it, I’ll dismantle the spell.”

            Riku leaned his head back to rest against the tree and closed his eyes tiredly, conceding. “I don’t know how, Sora. The type of magic I use is different than this. There are spells, yes, but they’re a part of my nature; instinctual. This kind is learned.”

            “Oh.” Sora deflated and sank back. They were quiet again. Like usual, however, Sora couldn’t hold his peace for very long. When his fidgeting became more than Riku could handle, the man glared at him as if to say _out with it_.

            Sora lowered his eyes, soft. “…I didn’t mean to upset you. Or to get so angry. I just sort of lost it,” he pleaded. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

            “…It wasn’t really you,” Riku responded. “You were feeding off of me.”

            Sora made a ‘humph’. “You always want to strangle people?”

            The man rubbed at his throat. “Most everyone thinks that demons are… overemotional. I suppose we can respond to stress a little intensely.”

            “Well, you’re very good at hiding it, usually.”

            Riku was silent. Still bleeding, he pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head back to stop the flow. Sora shook his head and tapped Riku on the bicep with the back of his hand. “You shouldn’t do that. The blood will just run down the back of your throat instead. Here, lean forward like this.”

            The man obeyed but seemed irritated. “You know you could have killed yourself today?” he snapped. “What were you thinking, trying to use magic that level? If I had resisted at all, you would have suffocated. You’re a novice, you can’t create a bonding with someone who’s over a mile away, you don’t have the reach for that.”

            Sora blinked at him. “Either you hit me harder than I thought, or you actually sounded worried just now.”

            Riku tossed his free arm in exasperation. “No, of course not.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “I’m just a heartless brute with no feelings, I don’t give a damn what happens to you. Go jump off a cliff for all I care.”

            The boy crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t mean it like that, you just surprised me.

            Shaking his head and wiping the blood on his hand on the grass, Riku finally looked Sora in the eyes. “…I’m sorry I hit you. It might have been a little excessive.”

            Grinning, Sora nudged Riku in the leg with one sandaled foot. “Thanks. But do you think that before you go throwing yourself into a volcano, we can figure out how to detach us first?”

            “Go to hell,” Riku grumbled, and Sora laughed.

            Sora stood. “Come on, let’s go home and I can show you the magic volumes I’ve been reading. Maybe we can find something in there that will help us.” As soon as he’d said it, Sora felt the building of panic again, though much milder this time. Now that he understood it’s source, he looked to Riku in concern, but the man wasn’t moving. “What’s wrong?”

            “It’s broad daylight now, Sora.” Riku’s voice was heavy with implication.

            “Yeah, so? Are your burns still hurting you?”

            Riku shook his head. “No. Well, a little. But that’s not what I’m talking about. How exactly do expect to get me back to your house? I can’t just walk through town, they’ll try to burn me at the stake.”

            The Hero frowned. “I didn’t think of that,” he admitted. “Can’t you just…” Sora flailed his arms in a large, sweeping gesture, and Riku winkled his brows at the brunet’s theatrics. “Ya know. Whoosh us there. With the darkness and the creepy fog?”

            The warrior snorted at the description. “You must have a death wish. That amount of darkness in your body when you’re so unaccustomed to it would leave you writhing like washed up fish.”

            “Pleasant,” Sora intoned. “Fine. I guess we sneak you in the old fashion way. How good is your climbing?”

~~~

            Riku, admittedly, was struggling more than he liked to keep up with Sora’s pace. They had gathered Sora’s things and stuffed them into the boy’s sack as soon as Sora had come up with a plan, and Riku had swiped away the markings in the dirt to remove any evidence of what the Hero had done here. Then they were hurrying through the woods back in the direction of the city. Sora had explained how he had left the first time without alerting the city watch, but even with the waves of confidence that rolled off of him, Riku couldn’t shake his worry. The longer it took them to get back the more people would be getting up and flooding the streets.

            Approaching the city walls, Sora motioned for Riku to keep low while they slipped through the bushes. Barefoot and wildly underdressed for an excursion, Riku was not making good progress. Sora had to wait for him multiple times, the chain that kept them together reappearing any time they tried to advance more than twenty yards apart, then disappearing again when they were close.

            By they time they were at the foot of the wall and Sora was pointing out hand and footholds that Riku could use, Riku was already contemplating how to get out of this. Sora, on the other hand, didn’t even wait to make sure Riku was following before he started lumbering up the wall using nothing but his bare hands like a squirrel. Riku watched him move higher and higher before finally putting one hand against the rock. If he didn’t keep up, Sora would end up dragging him by the chain the rest of the way, and Riku wouldn’t have that.

            Taking a few steps back, Riku launched himself up, scrambling for a handhold he could get his fingers around. He dangled for a few seconds, then pushed forward and reached for the next one. It was slow going. If todays events were anything to go off of, he was certain that Sora was trying to kill him.

            By the time he made it to the top, Sora was already there waiting for him, and he was sore and irritated. His fingertips were raw, and the pads of his feet scraped. New bruised blended in with the fading burns on his skin, both from the climb and his earlier tousle with Sora. This was why he hated magical injuries. Even long after a wound had finally closed, the magic remained under your skin like a haunting reminder of the battle.

            Sora gripped Riku by the arm when he was in reach and helped him over, grinning at him like a simpleton. “Are you alright? Here, I’ll get down and then you can just jump, and I’ll catch you.”

            Riku gaped at him, but didn’t have time to protest, or even to catch his breath, before Sora was on the ground. The brunet looked around to make sure no one was nearby and turned back to Riku and held out his arms. Riku scowled. All he’d wanted to do this morning was sleep, and then go home, take a bath, and get rid of the stupid borrowed clothing Sora had him in. He didn’t ask for this! He didn’t want to throw himself into the arms of a Hero of Light like some kind of damsel in distress!

            “Riku!” Sora called up to him, cupping his hands around his mouth. He was attempting to whisper but Riku knew that if he could hear him, so could anyone else who wandered by. “Come on!”

            Gritting his teeth, Riku pushed out from the wall and jumped. His fall was cut short by a pair of strong arms wrapping around his waist and under his knees. Riku threw his arms around Sora’s shoulders, grunting when the wind was knocked out of him, and Sora stumbled a bit. When the Hero regained his balance, Riku patted his shoulder to let him know to put him down. Sora complied, then took Riku by the wrist and tugged him along.

            They had to stop several times, ducking in and out of alley’s, behind buildings, around pillars. Riku’s nerves never completely settled, but the confidence Sora inadvertently sent to him over their new link was soothing. Had he ever been so sure of himself like that?

            Finally, Sora’s home was in sight. Sora stashed Riku around the corner where he wouldn’t be seen and then headed to check if there was anyone that might spot them from his door. When no one appeared to be coming, he waved for Riku to follow and grabbed the handle. Before he could open it, however, Riku rushed over and grabbed Sora by the shoulder.

            “Wait,” he whispered. “There is someone in your house.”

            Sora looked back at him in confusion. “How can you tell that?”

            Riku only tapped the tip of his nose, which caused Sora to scrutinize him further. “You can smell them from here? That’s ridiculous. And even if you could, half of the house if a shop, it’s probably just a customer.”

            The man shook his head. “I’m serious, and they’re not customers. They’re on this side of the building,” he said, pointing. “One of them I think is your red headed friend, but I don’t recognize the other.”

            “Kairi? Look I don’t know why you’re so worried about her, but she’s a friend, you don’t-” Sora stilled, looking over Riku’s shoulder and pulling on the handle. “Someone’s coming. Get in, don’t argue.”

            Sora practically shoved Riku into his house, and he tried not to wince when the Hero pushed against his ribs. Sora mumbled a hushed ‘sorry’ under his breath and closed the door behind him. Already this connection had him aching for the privacy he’d had only hours ago. As soon as the were within the safety of Sora’s home, Riku pressed his back to the wall and froze.

            He’d been right to be worried before. Sitting at Sora’s table was a boney old woman with a teacup in her hand. Her hair was a dark grey that she wore twisted at the base of her neck in a braided bun, along with several layers of loose clothing that had as many folds as her skin. She kept her eyes closed but angled her head towards them when Sora shut the door.

            Kairi turned from the fireplace she tended, the tea kettle’s steam filling the room with it’s fragrance. She looked to Sora first, and then to Riku, who was doing his best impersonation of a statue.

            “Did you two get into a bar fight??”


End file.
